A bear is quite an interesting animal, and you may have heard various astonishing facts about them. One of the things that make the animal different is its hibernation. Scientists are still unraveling mysteries about the animal, but the discoveries that have been made provide fascinating insights.
Once you learn various facts about the bear species, you understand how interesting they are. If you would like to see them in real life, you may like to visit the Yellowstone Bear World with your family and kids.
Interesting facts about a bear’s hibernation
- Bears eat a lot (that helps in hibernation).
To make sure they can hibernate in peace without feeling hungry for months, bears go through a period where they eat excessively for months. This period is known as hyperphagia, and bears can eat up to 20,000 calories a day during this time. They also put on around three pounds of weight every single day. This causes them to save up enough fat in their body for the hibernating months.
- Bear dens retain heat.
Bears, like all other animals, are responsible for digging up their own den. Grizzly bears build a new den for hibernation every year. They collect various natural and bedding materials over the course of 3-7 days to prepare their den. Materials like tree boughs can withstand extreme temperatures as low as -60°F. The den or “chamber” is almost double the size of their bodies that helps in the retention of heat.
- The way bears hibernate can help humans go to mars.
This sentence may have sounded weird to you, but it is actually true. Most people know of hibernation as a sleeping state in animals. However, in bears, it is a little different. Bears, instead of sleeping, stay awake during their entire hibernation. Bears remain in a reduced metabolic state where their breathing and heart rates slow down. Scientists are trying to use this idea in astronauts to help them stay without food for longer in space and send them to mars.
- Studying bear hibernation can result in medical breakthroughs.
Bears do not sleep during their hibernation. They only remain in an inactive state. Scientists believe that rapidly gaining weight and lying still can help in fitness as most bears remain healthy during this time. Experts have found that studying bears can help treat diabetes and osteoporosis in humans. These studies can also help people experiencing kidney failure and other conditions.
If you found these facts helpful, you may like to learn more about bears. To see a bear live and learn about them, you can visit a national park.
