Survival Skills of Bears

[brotherbear]

Yellowstone Bears in the Wild by James C. Halfpenny.

Hyperphagia is the intense biological drive to find and consume food that bears experience in the fall. Hyperphagia is the season of fat accumulation. The duration and rate of food intake increases dramatically. Bears will often go days without sleeping in order to eat. They gain significant weight, primarily fat. Weight gain may be as much as three pounds per day. A bear might gain 100 pounds during the month of September alone.
Roadside ursophiles notice behavioral changes that indicate hyperphagia. Bears may feed all day without sleeping or resting. Day after day, a bear may be in the same spot, often moving only a few yards but constantly eating. Almost nothing distracts the feeding bear. The search for high energy, high quality foods is paramount, and this unrelenting drive often leads bears away from protected areas. Bears are drawn to food sources such as garbage, bird feeders, hunting areas, and hunting camps. Leaving the remote reaches of the ecosystem often leads to negative encounters with people. Reply