Bear Digging Out of Snow After Hibernation Is All of Us in the Morning
Spring is here, and that means that sleepy animals everywhere are coming out of hibernation. Boo, a 22-year-old bear is one of those animals, and The Weather Channel shared a video on Friday, March 22nd of him clawing his way out of deep snow in British Columbia. It took a lot of work to get out of his den!
The snow appears to be several feet deep, and Boo uses his huge paws to create a hole large enough for him to climb out of. Watch to the end when Boo adorably stands up to check out the winter wonderland that surrounds him!
It took a lot of work for Boo to move all of that snow! The Weather Channel reported that Boo was orphaned in 2003 and has lived at The Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (an animal sanctuary) ever since. They go on to say that he lives on a 20-acre refuge that he has all to himself. Commenters had fun welcoming Boo back into his home, but one comment made me laugh out loud. @JayketheH admitted, "I had a similar experience this morning trying to get out of bed!" Same here Jayke!
Do Bears Hibernate?
Believe it or not, bears do not technically hibernate in the true sense of the word. In fact, there are very few animals that actually do. While bears do sleep more, slow down activity-wise, and eat less during winter months, they can still be found up and about doing what bears do. Bears and most other animals that people say hibernate enter a state torpor instead. Torpor is often referred to as temporary hibernation and is different from the hibernation we all think about. While it might seem like a technicality, there is a major difference: hibernation is voluntary, while torpor is an involuntary act.
Animals that truly hibernate include squirrels, several kinds of turtles, mice, bumblebees, and bats. When temperatures drop, these animals choose to hibernate since they know that food will be scarce. They "bulk up" and prepare for their hibernation in the months leading up to it. Their heart rate decreases, breathing slows, body temperature drops, and they enter a deep sleep for weeks or months at a time. Interestingly, some animals will come out of hibernation to eat or use the bathroom, and then go back into it. It's a survival tactic.
Torpor is different. Animals like bears, raccoons, and skunks go into a deep sleep, but for much shorter amounts of time - up to a few hours or a day at most. While sleeping their body temperatures do drop, but not as much as it does in hibernation. They can still active but everything just kind of slows down.
My whole life I thought bears hibernated, so imagine my surprise when I learned that they technically do not. I love learning random facts like this! They say you learn something new every day, and this was mine.
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