Akron Zoo Explains Why Their Bears Aren’t Hibernating This Year
Have you ever learned something that made you realize that what you thought to be true your whole life was actually wrong? That's how I felt after watching @Akron Zoo's video that they posted at the beginning of February about why their grizzly bears aren't hibernating.
The video starts with bear keeper Jessica in front of the bears' enclosure with a snoozing bear behind her. She goes on to say that no bears actually hibernate, they go into what is known as torpor, which is different than hibernation. Watch on as she explains what torpor is.
Who knew that bears don't actually hibernate? I sure didn't! The grizzly bears do sleep more, slow down activity-wise, and eat less, but they're still up and about doing what bears do. I wasn't the only one surprised by @Akron Zoo's mind-blowing news. @delognut spoke for all of us when she said, "It’s so crazy because I VIVIDLY remember them always teaching us about bears hibernating, but they don’t even HIBERNATE!!!" I cracked up at @Russ247 who shared, "Sounds like I am also going through torpor, can I get a note for my boss?" and the zoo responded, "Of course! Although we’re not sure how it’ll stand up…"
Difference Between Hibernation and Torpor
I like how the zookeeper explained that hibernation is voluntary, while torpor is involuntary, like breathing. Torpor is often referred to as temporary hibernation and is different from the hibernation we all think about.
True hibernators include squirrels, turtles, mice, and bats. They go into hibernation when the temperatures drop and food is hard to come by. They "bulk up" for their hibernation before they choose to do it. The animals' heart rate decreases, their breathing slows, their body temperature drops, and they go into a deep sleep for weeks or months at a time. And believe it or not, some animals will come out of hibernation to eat or use the bathroom, and then go back into it. It's a survival tactic.
In torpor, the animals (like bears, raccoons, skunks, and even birds) do go into a deep sleep, but for much shorter amounts of time - up to a few hours or a day at most. And while they're sleeping their body temperatures do drop, but not as much as it does in hibernation. They are still active, everything just kind of slows down.
This was so interesting to me! They say you learn something new every day, and this was mine. I can't wait to share this with my kids to see if they knew this or if they learned the same thing that we all did all of those years ago.
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