Friday, March 29, 2024
   
Text Size

Spring, Summer, Autumn

23

Every season brings challenges to the survival and procreation of bears.

As spring temperatures begin to inch upward, their subcutaneous fat is depleted and they feel a pang of hunger. The first plants are out and it’s time to leave the warm den, despite the occasional show flakes drifting across the still chilly air. But the den is so cozy that after a day’s foraging for food, the bear comes back for a good night’s sleep in the first week or two.

In April, all they’ve got for food are last year’s wild apples, dog roses and ants, so a bear has to work hard to earn its keep.

Read more: Spring, Summer, Autumn

 

Winter Sleep

24_5

Between December and March bears are in a state of hibernation, or lethargy. This is due not so much to the winter cold as to the lack of food. During the winter months, a bear has to survive on its accumulated fat.

So the bear sets about preparing its winter den, cleaning out the debris, expanding it and making itself a comfortable bed of leaves, grass, moss and twigs. Bear lairs have been discovered in the oddest of places: in caves and rock crevasses, under the roots of fallen trees, in decommissioned mine shafts, in holes under mountain chalets or bridges. The entrance is always narrow and hard to spot.

Read more: Winter Sleep

   

Video Gallery