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Interest web: Hibernation/torpor of Bears - Coggle Diagram
Interest web: Hibernation/torpor of Bears
When
Winter season
Late November or December
Can sleep for over 100 days
Wake up in January or February to give birth
Before the first significant snow storm
Can sleep for over 100 days
How
How to prepare
Double their food intake toward the end of summer and fall
Heart rate decreases
Breathing rate decreases
Turn pee into protein
Circulation decreases
Why
To survive the winter
Food is scarce
Weather is harsh
Female panda bears: to give birth and take care of her cubs
Animals that hibernate
Chipmunks
Raccoons
Skunks
Hedgehogs
Queen bee
Bees die leaving on the Queen to hibernate
Where
In their dens
Hollow tree
Rock crevice
Hillsides
Under tree roots
Under leaves and brush
Cave
Rock crevice
Types of bears & hibernation habits
Black & brown bears
Dependent on food availability
Once a black bear is using more energy than food they can find, they’ll go into hibernation
Polar bears
Don't hibernate or do torpor
Males and non-pregnant females
Continue to roam around and feed
Females den
Heart rate and temperature do not decrease
Relies on fat reserves to survive (female polar bears & her cubs)
Digs a den in a snow drift
They do this to give birth and take care of her cub(s) in a safe, warm place
Panda bears
Do not hibernate
They can't stop eating
Bamboo is too low in nutritional value for pandas
to build sufficient fat reserves to survive torpor
Difference between hibernation and torpor
Body size
Large
Can't get rid of body heat on order to hibernate
Small
Can adapt to winter conditions more easily
Can ease the rapid drop in temperature required for hibernation
Those in torpor can wake up easier
To give birth
To fend off predators