It’s that time of the year when hibernating animals are waking up from their winter hibernation, hungry and ready to eat and get back to living. In Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, one black bear was spotted emerging from her den, and she looks like I do every morning!
ABC News shared a short clip showing the bear slowly stumbling out of her den. She looks tired, like she hasn’t quite adjusted to waking up and the sunlight yet. But after she finally exits the den it’s clear that she’s not alone – watch to see who else is in there!
The bear cubs weren’t quite ready to come out into the world just yet! They were waiting for mom to check things out and make sure it was safe for them to come out. I wondered if whomever recorded the video stuck around to see the cubs come out, but it turns out that bear cubs don’t normally begin leaving the den until they’re around 5 months old. They’ve still got a ways to go!
I love watching videos of bear cubs with their mom…after seeing several videos of a mama bear with her babies, it’s very clear where the term “mama bear” comes from! They are very protective of their cubs, even though they do encourage them to explore the world around them.
Related: Black Bear Awakening From Hibernation at Zoo Looks Like a Tired Human
Commenters’ Reactions to the New Mama Cub Emerging from Hibernation
@Michele L. Squibb started a conversation when she shared, “When I was in Alaska I learned they give birth while they’re asleep in hibernation!” Commenters had a lot of funny responses to her comment, especially saying how crazy it would be to wake up and have two babies next to you.
But a few other commenters clarified, including @Tracie Williamson who said, “They give birth during hibernation, but they are awake and aware.”
This makes sense because bears do not go into a true hibernation state; instead, they enter a state of rest called torpor. Torpor is often referred to as ‘temporary hibernation’ and differs from the hibernation we typically think of. While it may seem like a technicality, there is a significant difference: hibernation is a voluntary process, whereas torpor is an involuntary state.
While in torpor, bears go into a deep sleep for much shorter amounts of time – up to a few hours or a day at most. They can still be active, but everything just kind of slows down. Interesting to find out that something we learned as kids turned out to be wrong!
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