Welcome to Fast Facts with Reasons for Hope!
I’m Carl Kerby.
We couldn’t take a look at the amazing Brown Bear without also talking about one of the greatest transformations that happen to them every year … hibernation.
This state of metabolic depression allows the colossal bear to enter a deep sleep … his heart beats only 8 times a minute, conserving so much energy that it does not wake to eat, drink, or defecate for months.
Their body will take waste products and break them down into nitrogen to maintain muscle and organ tissues while they rest.
All of their hard work foraging and feasting in the summer pays off with a nice layer of fat that helps them have nutrients and keep their body temperature up. This higher body temperature is why grizzlies can wake up and react to danger quicker than hibernators whose body temperature drops lower than 40F.
How amazing!
Check back with us again to discover more amazing creatures. Until then, stay bold!
Carl Kerby is the founder of Reasons for Hope and co-creator of the DeBunked apologetic video series. His radio feature, Fast Facts, is heard weekly on VCY America, Saturdays at 9:25 AM Central.
