Why does the bear sleep in winter?

Everyone is well aware of one of the main features of bears falling into hibernation. However, very few people know why this is happening. We propose to find out why the bear sleeps in winter and why it sucks its paw.

Bears fall asleep due to the fact that they have nothingeat and have nothing to replenish the energy reserves that are needed to find food. Hibernation makes it possible to survive the cold times without serious losses for the animal.

All bears that live in the climatic zonesfrom temperate to arctic, have the feature of falling into hibernation. This is due to the fact that the snow in these parts lies for a long time and densely covers the earth's cover, concealing a large part of the diet of bears. These predators are the largest on earth, their weight is on average 150-350 kg, and in some cases 700 kg (Grizzly bears). This carcass needs something to feed all winter, but the snow cover makes it almost impossible, even taking into account the fact that these predators are omnivorous and use all that is at least similar to food.

In the article How animals prepare for winter you will learn more interesting facts about the characteristics of wintering of these animals.

Does the bear suck the paw?

In the people there is a myth that bears, when they sleep,suck paw. In fact, this is not so. This habit is observed only in small cubs, who are born in captivity and are deprived of a biological mother, so they are fed with an ordinary bottle. Tedders suck their hind legs, as the skin on it is tender and reminds the baby of the mother's nipple.

Large individuals do not. There are two versions that could lead people into such a fallacy:

1. When the bear sleeps in the den, it curls up, bending its hind legs, and the front ones clinging to the muzzle. Therefore, people might think that the bear sucks its paw.
2. The skin on the paws of the bear is incredibly strong, sinceallows the animal to move painlessly on any rough and sharp surfaces. The formation of new skin occurs even in winter under a layer of the old, which certainly causes severe itching and discomfort. Here is a bear and bites the old cover in a dream, but does not do it all the time.

Not all animals fall asleep in winter forshelters. What kinds of animals tend to fall into a hibernation, you will learn here: What animals hibernate. This feature helps many species survive in severe winter weather.