Not all bears hibernate. There are connecting rods, and there are “overeaten” ones (6 photos)

Not a single adequate bear will miss hibernation without a reason, because in this case it may simply not survive until the summer. Just imagine: during winter sleep, the bear reduces motor activity to zero, metabolic rate by 53%, and the heart beats 4-5 times slower. That's saving hundreds of thousands of calories! But what will happen to the animal if it does not hibernate?





Sanya, give me 500 milliliters of valerian, I can’t sleep at all...

There are three different options, and we'll start with the most depressing one. An angry, weak and very hungry bear will wander through the forest in search of food. Yes, that's right, we are talking about connecting rod bears. Most clubfoots in this category were unable to accumulate enough fat to ensure a lazy winter, so they either woke up too early or did not hibernate at all.



Ehhh, now I’d like to gnaw on some sausage scraps...

Some of the connecting rods wake up for other reasons: too loud noise, flooding of the den and hormonal disruptions also drive the bears out of the dens. But they are no longer able to lie down and are now forced to support the work of their accelerated metabolism with everything that comes under their paw. Even the most weakened bear is many times stronger than any person and is able to consider it as an emergency supply of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.





Hey man, you look plump. Will you share your calories?

However, everything is not always so bad, sometimes Potapychis simply delay hibernation, because winter sleep is not a session; it does not have clear dates for its onset. Females usually lay down as early as November, when snow cover begins to form. But males can walk until December or even January.



For bears in the Far East, hibernation in the middle of winter is the norm. Thanks to the fatty fish that the bears feed on throughout the spawning season, the bears have enough strength and energy almost until February!

Especially if the winter is warm and the summer was rich in harvest. In this case, the bears gain calories and there is no need for them to go to bed: they can simply reduce their physical activity.



So, I drank some water. My work is over for today.

Bears kept in captivity think about the same thing. If you don’t stop feeding them, the animals will not go into hibernation. However, you can’t expect any activity from them either. Bears will only leave their hiding places to stretch their legs and have a snack. The rest of the time the clubfoots lie around and rest. But it’s not for me to condemn them for laziness and passivity; on vacation I behave the same way.



A bear from the Nizhny Novgorod Zoo. February 2020. She doesn't sleep and feels great!