Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 29
Beginnings
In Pennsylvania, the dead of winter brings dens to life.
notably bears and mustelids, such as
minks, otters and fishers.
In bears, delayed implantation postpones investment in a pregnancy until
after the critical fall-foraging period as the
bears gorge on autumnal food. It results
in the synchronized births of thousands of
bear cubs born in Pennsylvania each year,
in the safety of protective dens.
For implantation to be successful, the
female typically needs to weigh at least
110 pounds by late fall. If fat reserves
are poor because of unexpected food
shortages, cub survival during hibernation could be compromised, in which
case blastocysts may be aborted, freeing
the female to breed again the following
summer.
Denning Up
When the factor of decreased food
availability outweighs the amount of
energy a bear is forced to expend finding
adequate nutrition, bruins seek out areas
protected from the elements and slow
down their metabolism.
Pregnant females typically den first,
followed by females with cubs from the
previous winter and juveniles of both
sexes. Adult males are the last group to
den, sometimes remaining active into
January.
Because some pregnant females typically begin denning in mid-November,
just prior to Pennsylvania's bear-hunting
season, they are afforded additional protection.
JANUARY 2016
Pregnant females also tend to select
sheltered dens more so than other bears.
Seventy-nine percent of pregnant
female dens studied in northeastern Pennsylvania were rock cavities, brushpiles or
excavations.
Conversely, ground nests and open
brushpiles are more typical with males,
although in some regions of Pennsylvania,
particularly the northcentral, ground nests
containing newborn cubs are common.
Most dens, regardless of type, are lined
with dry leaves, grass, broken twigs, or
some other material collected by the bear.
Bear dens are seldom reused.
Long Winter's Nap
The question of whether a bear is
considered a hibernator might be largely
a matter of semantics.
The body temperature of a denning
bear decreases from about 100 degrees
Fahrenheit to 88 degrees, which is different from almost all other hibernators.
The body temperatures of bats and
groundhogs, for instance, drop much
lower, to temperatures similar to their
surroundings.
Meanwhile, the heart rate of a denning
bear decreases from around 40 beats per
minute to only 8 to 10 beats per minute.
Although bears appear lethargic during
hibernation, they are easily roused and
capable of fleeing. They also can defend
the den against potential predators, and
gently nudge any cubs that try to crawl
out of the nest.
29
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016
Contents
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - Intro
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - Cover1
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - Cover2
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - a
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - b
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - c
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - d
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - Contents
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 2
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 3
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 4
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 5
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 6
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 7
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 8
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 9
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 10
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 11
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 12
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 13
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 14
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 15
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 16
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 17
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 18
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 19
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 20
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 21
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 22
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 23
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 24
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 25
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 26
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 27
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 28
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 29
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 30
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 31
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 32
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 33
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 34
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 35
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 36
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 37
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 38
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 39
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 40
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 41
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 42
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 43
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 44
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 45
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 46
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 47
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 48
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 49
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 50
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 51
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 52
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 53
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 54
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 55
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 56
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 57
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 58
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 59
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 60
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 61
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 62
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 63
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - 64
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - Cover3
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2016 - Cover4
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