Медведь является, пожалуй, одним из наиболее famous representatives of predatory animals all over the world. And all thanks to its size! A barrel-shaped body on massive paws with large claws, a huge head with a broad forehead and small eyes, large movable lips, coarse and shaggy hair ... Here it is - the image of a mighty clubfoot! In this article we will learn how a bear prepares for winter, what it feeds on and how it builds a lair for itself.
Shaggy and heavy
Bears without exaggeration can be calledshaggy heavyweights among land mammals covered with wool. For example, an adult Alaskan brown bear (photo below) reaches a height of 3 m and weighs 700 kg! But this is not the limit. The largest polar bear in the world is the white polar. This animal exceeds 3 m in length, reaching a weight of 1 ton. Just think! That is how much old males weigh, middle-aged bears do not usually exceed 400-500 kg.
These predators are famous not only for their size,but also strong physical data. The bear in nature has iron muscles, a thick layer of fat and warm hair. All this helps the predator to survive the winter with its prolonged frosts, for example, in the deaf Siberian taiga. If we talk about polar bears, then these shaggy giants can effortlessly swim in icy water for about ten kilometers, because they are excellent divers. It is curious that during the throw into the water the polar bear squeezes the nostrils and auricles, however, it leaves its small and weak-sighted eyes open. But back to the brown kosolapym.
What do bears eat?
The business card of many bears is theirbehavior in the winter season, or rather the absence of this behavior. Yes, many of these predators in the winter practically do not show any activity, because they fall into the so-called winter sleep. You are probably interested to know how a bear prepares for winter and what it eats. This will be discussed later. Now we should dwell on the main menu of the owner of the Russian taiga. Despite the fact that all bears are representatives of predatory animals, they with great pleasure feed on plant food.
For example, brown bears love to feast onvarious cereals, nutritious rhizomes of plants, nuts and berries. Probably every sane person knows that honey is the favorite food of the brown beast. And indeed it is! Wild bears are willing to endure the bites of angry bees for hours, just to get to the coveted and delicious honey. These are the living conditions of these animals in the wild. However, even this does not allow these predators to be called vegetarians.
The fact is that clumsy ones love to fish fromflowing forest rivulets fish. Zoologists describe this amazing sight: the bear stands for hours on the shore, peering into the surface of the water, and then suddenly he instantly and immediately uses his forepaw with powerful long claws, catching a big fish from the river. Moreover, one bear’s paw blow costs lives of animals like wolves and deer. Even the adult elk costs nothing to these predators!
How does a bear get ready for winter? Winter sleep
Bears are mostly forestresidents. One of their abilities is the ability to climb trees superbly. Particularly famous for this are the heavyweights of the South American tropics - spectacled and Malay bears. But if these kinds of clubfoot just do that they climb, then our host of the Russian taiga has become famous throughout the world for its unusual behavior in the winter.
The fact is that brown bears are mostly notshow no activity in the cold season, because they fall into a deep sleep. Of course, many animals are sleeping at this time (hedgehogs, badgers, moles), but all of them are small mammals, and try to look for a large predator that falls into sleep all winter long! It is the prerogative of bears only. So let's find out how the bear prepares for winter.
The construction of the lair
In the northern regions of the globe kosolapayheavyweights hibernate only after they build a special shelter - a den. Brown bears build their shelter from massive branches and twigs, and white bears dig holes in large snowdrifts. Often, brown bears take their cue from their northern relatives, digging for themselves earthen holes in the steep sandy banks of forest streams.
Usually the bear den is located insome secluded place hidden from prying eyes. For example, brown bears can lie in the winter under the pits or twists, under the roots of huge fir trees or cedars. If, before the onset of cold weather, the clubfoot never found a secluded spot, he simply digs a hole in the ground, strengthening its walls with the help of vertically protruding branches.
The bear is settled down very carefully.The beast ennobles its home from inside, lining it with improvised materials, for example, coniferous branches, moss, bunches of hay or dry grass, dragged from the forest. Incidentally, an experienced hunter can easily find a bear cabin in the forest, drawing attention to the surrounding trees around him with broken branches.
When do bears fall asleep?
Hibernating bears lie mainly from October toDecember. Accordingly, the winter sleep of each clubfoot lasts differently: from two months to six months. Zoologists, observing the behavior of these animals in nature, argue that in warm regions, subject to a bountiful harvest of nuts, berries and other fruits, many heavyweights practically do not hibernate. The bear in the fall and winter in this case plunges into a shallow sleep only for a few days and under the condition of unfavorable weather, which prevents him from walking in the surrounding forests. But we are interested in precisely those clumsy ones who are forgotten for a long time by their winter sleep.
How do bears sleep?
The bear in the den lies curled in a posekalacha: he presses his hind legs tightly against his belly, and covers his nose with his front paws. It is from here that the belief that the clumsy toes supposedly suck their paws when they sleep, originates. This is not entirely true. The fact is that a bear licks its front paws only in the most extreme cases, for example, when it suddenly feels in a dream that its reserves of subcutaneous fat are running low.
Это объясняется тем, что в теплое время года к To the paws of these massive animals, various berries, insects and other “food” stick, which eventually dries up. This allows them to slowly and unhurriedly in a dream lick their own paw, looking for the aforementioned food in the wool. So it is impossible to fully argue that the clumsy toes do nothing but suck a paw in a den.
Does a bear leave its lair in winter?
Yes, but this is not always the case.Winter sleep furry predator can not be called strong, because the onset of a thaw, the beast can suddenly awaken. In this case, the bears come out of their dens and knead bones, walking through the woods. But as soon as it gets colder again, clumsy hurries back to the shelter, trying to cover the traces of his stay on the street.
В этот период можно встретить и так называемых rods. These are bears, which for one reason or another because of malnutrition since the fall could not lie down in the den. Not having accumulated enough subcutaneous fat, the beast begins to wander through the winter forest, seeking food for itself. It is better not to meet such a beast, because it is very hungry and angry. Otherwise, a bear-rod can attack a person.
Bear Towns
Итак, в этой статье мы постарались наиболее elaborate on the question of how a bear prepares for winter. In conclusion, we note that adult animals often sleep alone. Only bears can lie together with last year's cubs. In those regions of the globe where there are few places for such winterings, the same dens are used many times. Sometimes they can be located in close proximity to each other. Scientists call this phenomenon bear towns.
