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Understanding the Mating Habits of Bears

Author: Lisa Jeeves
by Lisa Jeeves
Posted: Jun 17, 2015

If you're planning on embarking on a bear watching wildlife experience, you may find it useful to understand a little more about these magnificent creatures before you go. Experts have conducted much research into the different species' mating habits, some of which is touched on below.

The Reproductive Habits of Bears

In terms of breeding, bears are one of the least productive mammals in North America, with the Grizzly Bears the least productive of all. Bear watching experts continue to carry out research to discern exactly why this is so. Solitary by nature, the animals really only come together when they are mating. Black Bears don’t start to breed until they are 3 ½ years old and for Grizzly Bears it is 4 ½ years before they reach sexual maturity. Females start breeding at this age but for males, because of intense competition from larger, more established males, they rarely have the opportunity to mate until they are older. Bears are not monogamous and have several partners throughout their lifetime.

The Breeding Season

If you are going on bear watching tours between May and early July, you may have the opportunity to encounter mating bears. The season is at its busiest in June, but if the female is not healthy enough and has not replenished all of her stores over summer, a fertilised embryo will not implant in the uterus wall and the pregnancy will not establish.

The Birth of Cubs

January and February sees the birth of the cubs, which are born in the den before the end of hibernation in spring. A litter can consist of just one cub or up to six, and the cubs only weigh a tenth of what a human baby weighs. Cubs are born blind and use their keen sense of smell to find their way to the mother’s teats – and there they stay until the warmer spring weather arrives.

Mother Love

Females are very protective over their cubs and are often observed displaying affectionate and loving behaviour. They teach their young everything they know and are strict yet caring when guiding them through their early life. Depending on how much food is around, cubs might stay with their mothers for two or even three years, and when they finally part it can be emotional - particularly for the cubs, who can appear upset, scared or stressed. Often, cubs from the same litter will stay together for support for quite some time. Young males then move far away to establish territory of their own, while females may remain closer by, and female territory often overlaps.

The Ritual

The act of mating may take days and there is much theatre involved; although a female is in season for a few weeks, she will only allow copulation when she is most fertile, which is only for three to five days of the season. Mating itself last about 25 minutes normally but can continue considerably longer.

For those on bear watching tours in the mating season, it can be a rewarding, educational and extremely fulfilling wildlife experience.

Marissa Ellis-Snow is a freelance nature writer. If you’re looking for bear watching holidays, Naturetrek specialises in expert-led natural history and wildlife tours worldwide. Naturetrek brings over 25 years of experience to polar expeditions and tours to other spectacular regions on Earth.

About the Author

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.

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Author: Lisa Jeeves

Lisa Jeeves

Member since: Oct 18, 2013
Published articles: 4550

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