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Discover Nature: Black Bears Enter Dens

Missouri Department of Conservation

As days get shorter and temperatures drop, Missouri’s black bears are entering dens to spend the winter months when food supplies are scarce.

Bears will sleep through most of the cold season. Not officially classified as hibernation, this period of lethargy is called torpor – or a lighter sleep-state in which bears may occasionally get up and leave their dens on warmer days.

They rarely eat or go to the bathroom during this phase. Their body temperature and heart rate are reduced and their metabolism functions at about 40%.

Adult females with cubs tend to den first, followed by females without cubs, and then males, who are most likely to periodically awaken.

Typical den sites include rock caves and crevices, fallen trees, slash piles, ground nests, and tree cavities.

Bears don’t often reuse den sites and may vary den types from year-to-year.

When walking in the woods this week, take note of possible den sites and steer clear of these slumbering mammals.

Learn more about Missouri’s black bear population and how to stay safe in bear country with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s bear awareness guidelines.

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Trevor serves as KBIA’s weekday morning host for classical music. He has been involved with local radio since 1990, when he began volunteering as a music and news programmer at KOPN, Columbia's community radio station. Before joining KBIA, Trevor studied social work at Mizzou and earned a masters degree in geography at the University of Alabama. He has worked in community development and in urban and bicycle/pedestrian planning, and recently served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia with his wife, Lisa Groshong. An avid bicycle commuter and jazz fan, Trevor has cycled as far as Colorado and pawed through record bins in three continents.
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