Page 16 - Sentinel Novemberl 2017

BEAR WISE Continued from page 14 primary bio-alarm clock encouraging us to wake up and smell
the bacon – so to speak. By the way, whether awake or asleep,
bacon always speeds up my heart rate and breathing! But I
digress.

It’s important to know that the whole reason we slumber down
during cold winter months is nature’s way of protecting us from
starving due to little or no vegetation and insects once freezing
temperatures occur. And you thought if was just to give you a
respite from our sometimes annoying antics.

If the weather remains warm or an extended warming trend de-
velops during winter, it’s not uncommon for us bears to leave
our cozy dens for a mid-winter snack. We will usually not wan-
der far from our winter den havens – maybe up to a few hun-
dred yards or so. If you see one of us up and around during the
up-coming winter period, we are probably denning close by, so
During warm winters, we bearly barely sleep. you party animals keep the noise down!
Colorado black bears are not true hibernators, but instead slip
into what’s called a “torpor” during the cold winter months. Beware: The national weather forecast center is predicting a
Even so, we often refer to ourselves as hibernators.
warmer than usual winter for the state of Colorado this year. If
this is true, it may not be unusual to see us up and out looking
Similar to true hibernators, while in our altered torpor-nator for food. Therefore, continue to practice the same good bear
state, our metabolism slows to a crawl (heart rate and breathing safety rules as you do during summer months: Garbage cans
is nearly undetectable), but we can be awakened immediately
if conditions are right. Unusually warm winter weather is the Continued on page 17

Page 16 - November 2017 Perry Park Sentinel