Bears Have Babies While They’re Hibernating

Bears forgo many activities to conserve their energy in the winter when food is scarce, including eating, peeing, and pooping. There is one thing that they specifically DO do during the winter, though: give birth! But, giving birth during the harshest possible time of year seems like kind of a bad idea, so why do they do it?

Hosted by: Hank Green

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Sources:
https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/denning.htm
https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/93/6/1493/912716
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=296
https://bmcphysiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6793-11-13
https://daily.jstor.org/how-to-be-the-fattest-bear/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4079694/
https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/93/2/540/924692
https://polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears/life-cycle/
https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/93/6/1493/912716
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/030096298190
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep40732
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5486538/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7251182/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0085253815557360
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2907.2007.00096.x

Images:
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/funny-black-bear-sleepng-in-bed-gm930281710-255065323
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/brown-bear-with-two-cubs-looks-out-of-its-den-in-the-woods-under-a-large-rock-in-gm1312044246-400963085
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/sleeping-grizzly-bear-brown-fur-tired-fluffy-gm689337860-126997655
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/sleeping-bear-gm502898614-82204353
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/alaska-peninsula-brown-bear-female-cub-nursing-ursus-arctros-at-hallo-bay-katmai-gm1278341833-377309957
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/brown-bears-in-the-wild-gm636170212-112704403
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/mother-bear-feeding-three-bears-gm168380700-20898180
https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/polar-bear-wood-engraving-published-in-1893-gm1295505577-389213436
https://www.storyblocks.com/video/stock/bear-cubs-and-mother-walking-through-snowy-wilderness-t6tju8h
https://www.storyblocks.com/video/stock/mountain-caucasian-ground-squirrel-or-elbrus-ground-squirrel-spermophilus-musicus-is-a-rodent-of-the-genus-of-ground-squirrels-hhyv9m5gyktft18x6