Yes, many hibernating animals like bats, dormice, and chipmunks do wake up periodically to eat, drink, and use the toilet, but bears have a unique ability to recycle waste and often don't go at all, forming a "fecal plug" until they wake up in spring. Other small hibernators may eliminate waste during brief arousal periods, while bears process urea into protein to maintain muscle, avoiding urination and defecation for months.
A) Bears hibernate during winter, but aren't sleeping the whole time. Hibernation for bears simply means they don't need to eat or drink, and rarely urinate or defecate (or not at all).
According to the National Park Service, black bears and grizzly bears generally do not urinate (pee) or defecate (poop) while hibernating. During hibernation, poop (and other stuff) builds up in the bear's lower intestine to form a fecal plug. The intestinal walls absorb all the fluid.
Fat is metabolized to produce water and food, but instead of defecating or urinating to eliminate waste, bears recycle it. Their kidneys shut down almost completely and urea, a major component of urine, is recycled into proteins that maintain a bear's muscle mass and organ tissues.
Read on for more behind the science of hibernation. What Is Hibernation? Despite what you may have heard, species that hibernate don't “sleep” during the winter. Hibernation is an extended form of torpor, a state where metabolism is depressed to less than five percent of normal.
Koalas are thickset arboreal marsupials with a thick grey fur. Found only living in Australia, they mainly live in the eucalyptus trees and spend around 22 hours of their time sleeping (90%).
Some Australian animals may enter a state of torpor daily, others will only experience short periods of torpor. When animals enter a state of extended torpor, it is called hibernation. Most warm blooded animals in Australia will not hibernate. Echidnas and pygmy-possums are the exceptions.
If you were to wake up a hibernating animal midwinter, you would be effectively killing it. It would use up so much energy warming itself up in order to awaken that it would have no chance of making it to spring even if it could re-enter hibernation.
Bears defecate multiple times per day, and even more in the fall when they're heavily feeding preparing for denning.
They stay hydrated with the metabolic water that is produced in sufficient quantities to satisfy the water needs of the bear. They also do not eat or drink while hibernating, but live off their stored fat.
Hibernation is far more than a long winter's nap. It's more akin to a coma, with heart rate, breathing, metabolism, and consciousness all dramatically reduced, if not suspended.
Bears can sleep more than 100 days without eating, drinking, or passing waste! Bears can actually turn their pee into protein.
During a hibernation period, the metabolism of the animal is very low, allowing them to conserve energy and survive. Their heartbeat and breathing rates slow down and their body temperature drops. Such animals usually bulk up before hibernation to build up fat stores in their body.
Humans, however, are active year-round. Humans do not hibernate because our evolutionary ancestors arose in equatorial Africa, where it's relatively warm and wouldn't be as beneficial. Hibernation is a response to decreased temperatures and food supply.
The most important distinction between brumation and hibernation is awareness. A hibernating animal is in a deep, continuous sleep and generally doesn't wake until the season changes. A brumating reptile remains somewhat aware and responsive to their surroundings.
Yes, 100 men could likely defeat a grizzly bear, but only through overwhelming numbers and strategic, sustained attacks to exhaust and subdue it, as the bear's immense strength, claws, and teeth make it lethal to any single man, causing immediate panic and high casualties in a chaotic, unarmed fight. The bear would dominate the initial charge, but its stamina is not infinite, allowing a coordinated group to eventually win by exploiting its exhaustion, bleeding, or by suffocating/choking it, though it would be a brutal, costly endeavor.
Bears also dislike the strong scent of pine-based cleaners, but avoid using anything with a fresh, lemony or fruity smell. And never mix bleach and ammonia; the combination produces fumes that can be deadly to both people and bears.
During hibernation bears do not eat, drink, defecate, or urinate. Once inside their dens bears form a kind of plug composed of feces, dead intestinal cells, hair, and bedding material in their anus. They continue to produce some feces during hibernation yet they do not defecate.
Make noise!
Let bears know you are there. Call out, clap hands, sing or talk loudly especially near streams, dense vegetation and berry patches, on windy days, and in areas of low visibility. Bear bells are not effective. Bears can be so preoccupied eating that they may not be aware of your presence.
Bear cubs are born in the den midwinter as the mother hibernates. The bear cub hairless, blind and weighs less than one pound at birth, but grows quickly in the den as it nurses over the winter.
Famous Hibernators – Kind Of
When you think of hibernation, North American brown bears might come to mind. While they're well known for their winter slumber, these bears technically enter a state of torpor, a lighter dormancy from which they can awaken if disturbed.
Australia's rarest animal is often cited as the Gilbert's Potoroo, the world's rarest marsupial, clinging to survival in small island populations in Western Australia, though other critically endangered species like the Night Parrot, Orange-bellied Parrot, and Red Goshawk also vie for the title due to tiny numbers and severe threats. Defining "rarest" can be tricky, but these species represent the absolute brink of extinction.
In the south, snakes go into hiding during the cooler months. They slow their metabolism to almost zero and essentially sleep (or “brumate”) through the winter. These southern snakes get ready to hunker down in autumn as the days begin to shorten.
Possums come to your house seeking easy food, water, and safe shelter, attracted by unsecured garbage, fallen fruit, pet food, and dark, quiet spots like roofs, crawlspaces, or woodpiles that mimic tree hollows. They are opportunistic nocturnal scavengers, so your yard becomes a convenient buffet and resting place, especially if natural habitats are scarce.