I Can Bear-ly Wait For Spring!
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Should be an easy find not far off an old woods trail that is not frequented by snowmobiles. BYOP.
The winter of 2013-2014 will no doubt go down in the record books as one of the longest and hardest that Maritimers have had to endure in recent times. Although we are officially one week into spring , as I write this, there are over 2 feet of snow on my back deck and the forecast for tonight and tomorrow is for a “weather bomb” to bring up to 40 centimetres of snow to some parts of the Maritimes. The buzz word for this winter has been “polar vortex” and folks are just plain sick and tired of it all.
However, we do know that spring will eventually come. And with it’s arrival we will see pussy willows, crocuses peaking out of the snow, bunnies multiplying and other creatures awakening from their winter’s rest. Among those awakening will be bears, which I recently learned are viewed by some as not being true hibernators. Apparently they just go into a state of torpor. You can Google, “Do Bears Hibernate?” Here is a short excerpt:
There is some discussion as to whether the most famous hibernator, the bear, actually hibernates. While a bear is denning, its heart rate, breathing rate, and metabolic rate do slow down. In addition, a bear’s body temperature is reduced.
BUT! Compared to true hibernators, like ground squirrels, a bear’s metabolic rate is significantly less depressed and a bear’s body temperature is reduced only a little. For example, a ground squirrel’s body temperature during hibernation is reduced to near freezing. Alternatively, bears reduce their body temperatures by about only 10 degrees or so. Moreover, ground squirrels have to awaken about every week for about a day, eat stored food, pass waste, and then return to hibernation. They continue this cycle all winter.
Bears don’t do this. Bears can go for more than 100 days without eating, drinking, or passing waste. Amazing!
Another difference:
True hibernators like ground squirrels awaken slowly. However, bears can awaken very easily during their denning period. (Note to self when hiking during the winter!)
As a consequence of these distinct differences, many scientists believe that bears are NOT true hibernators. Instead, they refer to a bear’s denning period as “winter lethargy” or “winter sleep”. Other scientists believe that bears exhibit a special case of hibernation.
Whatever you decide to call a bear’s denning period, I think we can all agree that this is a period of amazing physiology!
Please remember the note to self cited above while out in search of this cache as I know for sure there are bears in the area. :-) Also please be careful in handling the log container and be sure to replace it as found.
Congratulations to LEBTF for taking "the opportunity" to grab this as a FTF!
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