When do grizzlies come out of hibernation

Baby bears and hibernation are related! Bears create their own heat-efficient hideaways. Studying bear hibernation could lead to medical breakthroughs Rapidly gaining weight and then lying still for several months is not generally considered a recipe for fitness, yet most bears remain healthy during hibernation. By Christine Gianas Weinheimer. All rights reserved. Others go for a less thermodynamic design with a lower chamber and downward sloping tunnel. Unfortunately, human-driven climate change affects grizzly hibernation for the worse.

Researchers have observed grizzlies exiting about ten days earlier due to the changes in temperature. For vulnerable newborn cubs, this is a serious problem: they need all the time they can get to grow strong before facing the big bad world. Further, humans are the largest cause of grizzly bear mortality. The more time they spend safely out of reach in their dens, the better off grizzlies might be. At our Bismark Meadows Project in northern Idaho, for example, biologists have documented at least eight different bears frequenting the area during spring green-up, including several mothers with newborn cubs.

By protecting land and working toward bear-related conflict prevention, we help give grizzlies their best shot at growth and survival. Your support makes this possible, and you can also help grizzlies by staying bear aware while outdoors—even in the winter! Carrying bear spray and watching out for tracks and signs of bear activity is always recommended.

Skip to content. Mack, J. Black bear dens in the Beartooth face, south-central Montana. Miller, S. Denning ecology of brown bears in southcentral Alaska and comparisons with a sympatric black bear population. Rogers, L. The ubiquitous american black bear. Pages in North American Big Game. Boone And Crockett Club. Parker and Nesbitt eds. Servheen, C. Grizzly bear dens and denning activity in the Mission and Rattlesnake Mountains, Montana.

Tietje, W. Denning behavior of black bears in boreal forest of Alberta. Vroom, G. Herrero, and R. The ecology of winter den sites of grizzly bears in Banff National Park, Alberta. Wickelgren, I. Bone loss and the three bears: A circulating secret of skeletal stability. Science News. BMO Mark J. Black Bears Grizzly Bears. Explore This Park. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts. Denning and Hibernation Behavior. Literature Cited Bagget, J.

Science World. A bear in its lair. Natural History Magazine. Last updated: September 18, For a week or two they spend more time sleeping on the carcass than eating it. Their metabolisms are not totally kicked in—they are in a kind of walking hibernation.

Learn more about What Yellowstone Bears Eat. Bears have killed people in the park, so if you do see a bear from the road, make sure you remain in your car as you observe the animal from a safe distance. Get inspired with tips about where to go and what to see on your national park vacation, delivered right to your inbox.