Sleeping Through Winter

Bears mostly live and hunt alone. Some bears eat large amounts of food in summer to get ready for winter. They go into a den when it gets cold outside. A den may be a cave, a pile of sticks, or a hole dug under a tree. A bear may spend most of winter sleeping in its den. Some scientists call the bear’s sleep hibernation. Others think bears do not really hibernate because they sometimes wake up and go outside on warm winter days.

Most brown bears, like the one shown here, sleep through winter. Most polar bears stay active throughout winter.View Larger Image

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