Hibernation and American Black Bears
It is common for American Black Bears to hibernate during the winter. Hibernation is in fact a common trait of most mammals. American Black Bears have a trait, in fact, that corresponds to hibernation. They will most likely hibernate in caves, although if needed they might dig a den especially if it is a mother and cubs. The den or cave is most likely fit to the bear with a couple inches of space to move. The body temperature of an American Black Bear during hibernation drops to 88 degrees fahrenheit from the normal everyday body temperature of 100 degrees fahrenheit. It also turns out that a bears heart slows down during hibernation from 60-100 beats normally to about 40-50 beats. This change of characteristics in hibernation is created through nerve impulses sent to the brain when the bear is sleeping. These nerve impulses send information to the brain saying that there is a change in everyday routine and to kick-in the hibernation skills. This won't take effect, though, until a couple of days of change.