Posted on Oct 7, 2023
This Fat Bear Week, take a look at the scientific reasons bears need to bulk up : Short Wave
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https://www.npr.org/2023/10/06/ [login to see] /this-fat-bear-week-take-a-look-at-the-scientific-reasons-bears-need-to-bulk-up
It's one of the Short Wave team's favorite times of the year: Fat Bear Week! The week celebrates the annual quest of bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve to pack on as many pounds as possible before hitting the hibernation sack. Throughout the week, ranger-selected brown bears are entered into an online, bracket-style tournament to see which will be proclaimed champion.
Fat Bear Week is the brain child of former park ranger Mike Fitz. With the help of other rangers, he held the first competition in 2014 as a one-day event: Fat Bear Tuesday. The event was so popular on social media that Fitz turned it into a whole week the following year.
It's one of the Short Wave team's favorite times of the year: Fat Bear Week! The week celebrates the annual quest of bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve to pack on as many pounds as possible before hitting the hibernation sack. Throughout the week, ranger-selected brown bears are entered into an online, bracket-style tournament to see which will be proclaimed champion.
Fat Bear Week is the brain child of former park ranger Mike Fitz. With the help of other rangers, he held the first competition in 2014 as a one-day event: Fat Bear Tuesday. The event was so popular on social media that Fitz turned it into a whole week the following year.
This Fat Bear Week, take a look at the scientific reasons bears need to bulk up : Short Wave
Posted from npr.org
Wildlife
Science
Social Media
Posted 7 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Why fat is essential for bears
Adult male bears average 700 – 900 pounds in mid-summer. By late summer and fall, that figure can go up to around 1,200 pounds for the biggest males.
Those extra pounds will help them survive the winter.
During hibernation, bears’ bodies slow way down. They don’t eat, drink — or generally even urinate or defecate during this period.
Instead, their fat is metabolized to produce water and food, and their waste is recycled. Their kidneys shut down almost completely. A build-up of urea, a component of urine that would normally be toxic is recycled into proteins that help maintain the bears’ muscle mass. All of this helps bears hold onto their muscle mass and bone density until they finally emerge from hibernation in the spring.
Still, these bears can lose one-third of their body weight over the course of hibernation. So they really need all the food they can get before they hibernate!"...
..."Why fat is essential for bears
Adult male bears average 700 – 900 pounds in mid-summer. By late summer and fall, that figure can go up to around 1,200 pounds for the biggest males.
Those extra pounds will help them survive the winter.
During hibernation, bears’ bodies slow way down. They don’t eat, drink — or generally even urinate or defecate during this period.
Instead, their fat is metabolized to produce water and food, and their waste is recycled. Their kidneys shut down almost completely. A build-up of urea, a component of urine that would normally be toxic is recycled into proteins that help maintain the bears’ muscle mass. All of this helps bears hold onto their muscle mass and bone density until they finally emerge from hibernation in the spring.
Still, these bears can lose one-third of their body weight over the course of hibernation. So they really need all the food they can get before they hibernate!"...
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