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If you have siblings, you know what it’s like to share the attention of your parents with your brothers and sisters. It may be frustrating, but tends to not be a life or death situation. We can’t say the same for bears.
We, as humans, have the resources to have any number of children and not worry about their survival. We have easy access to food, medicine, and more to take care of our children.
For bears, however, the amount of cubs there are in a litter directly affects the survival rate of the cubs. The more babies that a mother bear needs to split her attention between, the worse it is for her children overall.
The ideal number of cubs in a litter has been found to be three. Litters of three or fewer cubs tend to have a survival rate of 82-100%. Litters of four or more cubs end up having a survival rate of just 50%.
Mama bears will keep their cubs safe from threats as they grow. With fewer cubs in the litter, she has more time to protect them and give them attention.
Read our article on bears here. You can read more information on different types of bears, from how many cubs a polar bear usually has to how long a black bear mother stays with her children.
Keep up to date on these animals. It’s the best way to stay involved so they don’t fall off your radar. Take a minute to learn something new about bears!
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