According to biologists, in the winter period of time, bears fall into a winter dream, and they fall into hibernation in the common people. It is known that bears are preparing for this process thoroughly from the end of August, when the day begins to decrease, and there is still enough food.
The amount of food absorbed is surprising; an animal can eat up to 20 thousand kcal per day. In this case, the accumulated fat on the bear's body can be up to 15 cm. This is not only ordinary white fat, but also brown, in which there are fatty acids. They support the body for a long time without nutrients. But why does a bear suck its paw while hibernating?
Features of the hibernation of the bear
Before the hibernation period, some changes occur in the animal’s body:
- In the internal organs and in the adipose tissue of the animal is a substance - tocopherol, which stops the metabolic processes;
- Metabolism is reduced, the processes of heat generation in the body are slowed, which is the reason for lowering body temperature, the activity of the central nervous system of organs is suspended, due to increased serotonin in the brain, which has a vasoconstrictor effect;
- When the bear chose a place for hibernation, around it the amount of oxygen decreases, the content of carbon dioxide rises, the temperature of the entire space in the den falls, which also places the body in hibernation.
In hibernation, the activity of the bear's body decreases, body temperature by 3-7 degrees, metabolic rate by 55 - 75%. Due to the large supply of fats of different composition, animals are able to hibernate for several months. Under these conditions, the processes of tissue repair and hair growth do not stop, all wounds and hair will be restored by the end of sleep.
In order to maintain life in hibernation, the bear's body consumes a small amount of energy. Energy now comes not from eaten food, as it was in the summer, but due to the slow burning of stored fat. Combustible fat leaves carbon dioxide and liquid. A sleeping animal does not have the ability to urinate, so the body practically does not lose water, which is necessary for many internal processes. Over the entire period of hibernation, the bear will lose up to 27% of fat.
Paw sucking bear
Nowadays, there are practically no secrets in relation to the animal world. Now zoologists have all sorts of devices to track different periods of animal life. Scientists explain this situation by the fact that the bears during their hibernation take the pose of a "fist." Finding a bear in such a pose, hunters might think that it really sucks a paw.
Bear, due to its large body weight, has a rough layer of skin on the sole of its paws, which does not even crack. This allows the animal to cross stony terrain painlessly. In winter, when the bear is in hibernation, a new layer continues to grow under the rough old layer of skin. This causes him some inconvenience, possibly even itching.Thus, the animal gnaws off a coarse crust to allow young skin to grow. In spring, you can see a bear with tattered skin on the feet of its paws.
Why do cubs suck their paw?
There is another phenomenon when little cubs that do not live a natural way of life - in the forest, suck their paws. For some period, the cubs feed exclusively on breast milk. In the bear, the nipples are located in secluded and warm places. When a little bear sucks mother’s milk, it often falls asleep in the process and may lose it. But in the zoo, these cubs are often fed with a pacifier. After feeding the cubs fall asleep, and due to the fact that the she-bear is often not nearby, the cub begins to suck its paw, because it is warm and partly replaces maternal heat. With age, bears abandon this habit, but it still doesn’t leave some in the adult period. Psychologists call this phenomenon behavioral psychology.
Thus, adult bears do not suck their paws, but get rid of rough skin on the feet of their paws, while in hibernation. Little cubs suck on their paw due to the absence of a bear nearby.
