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MrWrock t1_j5usklc wrote

Reply to comment by IsaacQqch in Where do bears go when they hibernate? Cartoons convinced me they all lived in caves, but I'm not so sure. by Forge_craft4000

Temperature definitely changes but food source changes probably have more of an effect. Black bears on BC's Vancouver Island don't hibernate due to tear round food sources.

In fact, no bears truly hibernate. They wake up, stir around, stretch, and go out for food when the weather is nice. What they do is called torpor

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CFL_lightbulb t1_j5vgth7 wrote

This is neat, and I never knew this. Thanks for the facts!

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very_busy_newt t1_j5wle0d wrote

What is the difference between torpor and hibernation?

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djublonskopf t1_j6mlod3 wrote

True hibernation is a long-term period of dormancy...weeks, or even months of continuous metabolic slowdown. Going into and out of it takes hours. Very few animals actually hibernate—certain snakes, bees, and bats, as a few examples. They generally stay "asleep" for the entire period, perhaps waking up only rarely to relieve themselves.

Torpor, instead, is much more short-lived, and generally involuntary...when it's cold their metabolism slows down and they conk out, if it warms up they get up and stretch and move around, maybe go find a snack. A lot of "hibernating" animals really just experience torpor during cold nights for a season, but are still somewhat active most days.

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