The reproductive process of bears is a topic of interest for many, since their population is not very large compared to what others believe, and for mothers it has become an arduous job to ensure that they do not die of hunger and have their full development. In this article we will show you how bears are born.
Let's know a little about the Bears
Bears are omnivorous mammals, they consume vegetation such as fruits, plants and roots, but they also consume insects and meat, their huge bodies can weigh 700 grams on average, and they can measure between 1 and 2 m in height. They are characterized by their way of walking, since they support all their weight on their hind legs, they are chubby animals, with a tender appearance, but with a very dangerous character, they lack the sense of sight and hearing, so they use their sense of smell only sense that it has really developed and in an exceptional way.
They are distributed throughout Europe, America and Asia, in which their respective types of bears live depending on the weather or season. Depending on the type of bears, the color of their fur will depend. Bears are known for being one of the largest carnivores on earth, in fact, the polar bear only eats meat due to the circumstances of its environment in order to get other types of food.
They are mammals with tendencies to be alone, they avoid any type of contact, especially the human. The only time they are seen accompanied is during the mating season, another way to see company between bears is between a mother and her children.
Reproduction Process
The sexual season of bears generally begins between 3 – 9 years. In which each species has its sexual awakening at its respective age, in which black and polar bears mature sexually faster than the others, doing so between 3-9 years old, browns do so between 4-5 years old, and the one that shows less interest regarding this topic is the panda bear that shows mating interests between 5 – 7 years of age.
Another important factor that also greatly influences the type of species is time, since it is not the same for all types of bears, pandas usually have their breeding season between March and May, browns between May and June. , the polar ones between March and April, the black bear from May to August, there is only one bear that is exalted to the rule of time, which is the anteater in which it has the power to reproduce all year round if it wishes.
The males will have to make an enormous effort to be able to mate with a female, they will have to travel long ways to reach the female, that is where the courtship process will begin, in which the male begins to approach the female, grazes next to her for several days, the bears begin to caress and rub noses, the male will take advantage of those moments to smell it and discover if it is a mutual feeling.
In case the bear does not accept, it will repel with kicks and bites. In the mating season, the males confront each other for the attention of a female, they also do this to demonstrate their strength and virility, the largest males intimidate due to their great size and strength, which is why in some cases they have not It has been necessary to implement force and violence, however, when confrontations are carried out they can be very brutal, obtaining serious results.
Another way for the female to reject the male is to remain seated, thus preventing the male from trying to mount her. The male flirts very patiently and cutely with the female, trying to form a bond with her, regardless of whether it will be ephemeral.
Bears, to which their sexual stage refers, are considered rough and promiscuous, due to the immediate sexual use of their partner, this means that, if the female accepts the male's invitation to mating, then he will proceed to mount her , after this the male abandons her, ignores her and undertakes another search for more females who are in heat, both males and females are polygamous, they seek different partners with whom to have sexual contact, in fact it has been shown that the litters of the bears are of multiple paternity.
Gestation
The gestation of bears varies according to the species, the brown bear lasts 2 months, in the panda 5 months, in the black 7 months, in the sloth 11 months.
Something particular among these pregnancies in which the bears can keep the sperm in their body and let it fertilize when they think it is the best time, many times this is rooted in climate change, food availability and the subsequent care that can be offered To this, there are several factors that are directly rooted in the excellent development of your little child.
These cases are usually seen more frequently with polar bears and black bears, the polar bear postpones the gestation of a bear cub because it needs to accumulate strength and fat to be able to continue with the least risk of pregnancy, this is due to the high temperatures that They must endure, depending on the season the temperature drops considerably, the black bear can postpone her pregnancy for up to 10 weeks in order to prevent her baby from being born in the fall season.
How are bears born?
According to the natural habitat of each species, the mothers will provide a decent refuge for their birth and development, in which the bears have their cave or bear for this purpose, instead the polar bear must dig the refuge of her and her children in the ice. The female can have between 2 or 3 offspring, unless it is an exceptionally particular case she could have 4, they are usually called a litter.
The moment of giving birth in most cases is usually relatively easy and without any or greater problem, with very few cases in which losses of the cubs have been registered, the small ones at birth, are usually weak, they do not count with a developed sight, rather they cannot see, their fur is scarce, and they do not have the senses of hearing and smell, for which they completely rely on their mother to be able to survive the first months of life, in this period they completely cling to her.
Aged for
During the first three months, the cubs feed only on breast milk, which is made up of a large amount of fat and nutrients that help their accelerated growth. The bears will later eat another type of food that will be more solid, little by little they will learn to survive on their own until the time comes to become independent from their mother, who in their process of development and growth have dedicated themselves to caring for and protecting them, keeping them close to the parameters that she deems convenient.
The mothers in the course of the development of their offspring, take care of them and protect them with great dedication, if they get too far from her sight she will immediately go looking for them, providing them with security, stability, housing and food in their growth phase, the little brothers They usually develop unity among themselves, they can be seen playing or fighting in a friendly way.
After a year, young bears already consume other types of foods which are more solid, such as fruits, insects and in some cases meat, the polar bear will only provide meat as the only food for their children, they can function better in their environment, and does not depend on his mother for his basic day-to-day needs.
Young eyes have the right to decide whether to stay with their mother for a while longer, of course she will no longer take care of the bear regarding her safety and food, the mother and her children will continue on their way together for a year that is usually the total separation of the family, the bears will begin their heat stage, so they will divide their paths to be able to procreate with receptive females.
Sometimes the brothers separate from their mother together and undertake at the beginning of their life without her together, this is not usually forever either, in the end the brothers separate to continue their lives in adulthood, on the trip separately they will look for a perfect place to establish it as your home and start its reproductive season.
The females must wait at least 3 years to procreate again, here various factors will play such as the change of season, the scarcity of food and the control of the environment that surrounds them. Among the species of bears, what usually have fewer offspring compared to the others are the brown bears and the pandas, in fact the panda bear does not usually show much interest and participation when it comes to procreation, this is due to the bamboo consumption, which dampens their sperm production and sexual interest.
The bears face a difficult situation today to be able to feed and offer a good development to their children, due to the scarcity of food and the space in which it is found, one of the saddest stories is that of the polar bears, since it is known that many pups have not been able to survive due to how difficult it is for their mother to get food in their habitat.
The life expectancy of bears in general is 20 to 25 years if they are free in the wild, the number goes up if they are in captivity, living up to 30 years, maybe a little more, everything will depend on the type of bear. bear whatever, since the brown bear has an average lifespan between 15 – 30 years, and the grizzly between 20 and 30 years.
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