In the winter, animals hibernate as a means of survival. When the environment is harsh, or food is less, this is a survival strategy for animals. It is a period of dormancy during which animals preserve energy to avoid having to hunt in the winter. Here we talk about the hibernation and when do bears hibernate?

What is Hibernation?
When there is a lack of food, hibernation permits animals to use their calories at a slower rate. Winter brings bitterly cold temperatures which slow down almost all the life processes. That makes it difficult for plants to grow fruit and for animals to go for the hunt. And ultimately animals fall short of achieving their daily calorie requirements. Hibernation is the process through which animals "sleep" during the winter months. In this process, animals become dormant for the winter months. They nap for weeks or months at a time and are completely inactive throughout this time. That aids in energy conservation. The animal's body temperature, heart rate, and respiration rate all drop dramatically during hibernation. The body's stored body fat provides all of the energy it requires to survive the hibernation phase.

When do bears hibernate?
Bears hibernate during the winter season. When bears hibernate, they don't eat, drink, or poo, but that doesn't imply they're completely dormant. Bears do not truly hibernate. They enter a torpid condition that is similar to actual hibernation. Bears descend into torpor, which is a moderate kind of hibernation, whereas deep hibernators reduce their body temperatures to 5 degrees. A bear's body temperature dips by just 10 degrees.

Bears go into torpor when their heart rate and breathing rate slow down, their body temperature drops somewhat, and they don't consume or expel bodily waste. Bears have been known to sleep for up to 100 days without eating, drinking, or passing waste! Instead, through a urea recycling mechanism, bears can essentially transform their urine into protein. The primary distinction between hibernation and torpor is that an animal in torpor may simply wake up if it is injured or endangered by predators. It allows them to respond immediately to danger when attacked or when their dens are flooded, as opposed to profound hibernation, which causes them to entirely shut down. Bears also wake up to alter their positions to avoid developing pressure sores. Female bears require torpor to care for their offspring. During hibernation, female bears frequently give birth. To care for her cubs, the female bear may have to get up in the middle of the night.
Bears may emerge from hibernation early due to changing weather patterns throughout the planet. If their dietary cycle does not continue to match up with the weather, this might be harmful to local bear populations. Bears can get starving for food if plants have not yet begun to sprout, but they are waking up. That makes them more prone to sickness.

All bears do not go into hibernation. Polar bears, unlike brown bears, and black bears, do not hibernate. Polar bears are already developed to survive extreme temperatures, so there is no need for hibernation. If food is provided to bears at the zoo throughout the winter, they do not hibernate.

#hibernation #winter #nature #sleep #hibernating #snow #cold #canada #chile #scotland