Bears in Winter: Where Do They Go When the Snow and Christmas Lights S

When We Plug in the Lights, Bears Power Down

December feels like celebration mode for us: lights, hot chocolate, crowded calendars.

For most North American bears, it’s the opposite: it’s quiet time.

By the time we’re thinking about Christmas

Black bears and many grizzlies are already in dens
Some females are pregnant, curled up and waiting to give birth mid-winter
Their heart rates have dropped, their breathing slowed, and they’re living off stored fat instead of food

While we’re unboxing ornaments, bears are:

Sleeping in rock caves, hollow trees, old root tangles, or dug-out dens
Relying on thick fat layers as their all-in-one pantry + sleeping bag
Staying still for weeks or months to ride out cold and scarce food

To kids, it can feel like bears “disappear” in winter. The fun part is showing that even when we can’t see them, big dramas are still happening underground.

Not All Bears “Hibernate” the Same Way

“Hibernation” gets used as a catch-all, but bears each have their own winter style.

Black Bears

Found across huge swaths of North America
Most will den up for winter, especially where it gets cold and snowy
Their body temperature drops a little, but not as much as in true small-mammal hibernators

They’re in a state called torpor: deep, energy-saving sleep, but still able to wake if disturbed or if something’s wrong.

Grizzly / Brown Bears

In the Lower 48, mostly in the Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska
Also den through the winter, choosing hillsides, roots, snow caves, or natural rock holes
Their winter lives are all about energy math: did they eat enough salmon, berries, and roots to make it to spring?

Polar Bears (the wild “Christmas card” bear)

Polar bears flip the script:

Most adult males stay active all winter on sea ice, hunting seals
Pregnant females dig snow dens and enter a denning period similar to other bears
Cubs are born inside the snow den, then emerge months later into blinding white light

So for polar bears, winter is not a sleepy season across the board—it's prime hunting season for some, nursery season for others.

Hibernation Myths: Bears Don’t Sleep the Whole Time

In class or at home, kids often picture bears as staying perfectly still for months, like a big stuffed animal. Nature is messier (and more interesting).

During winter denning, bears:

Don’t eat, drink, pee, or poop in the usual way
Recycle wastes inside their bodies
Lose weight slowly as they burn fat
May shift position, twitch, or even wake briefly

Females can go into the den pregnant and not-nursing, and by late winter they’re nursing tiny cubs they’ve given birth to in the dark, all without going out to feed.

That’s basically a superpower.

Christmas in the Den: Tiny Cubs in the Dark

This is a great, kid-friendly “wow” moment.

Many black bear and grizzly cubs are born mid-winter (often January–February)
Cubs are tiny at birth compared to mom—often around the size of a squirrel
They’re born blind, with very little fur, and depend completely on their mother’s warmth and milk

While we’re:

Exchanging presents
Watching snow fall
Coming back from winter break

… there may be brand-new bear cubs snuggling against their mother in a den on a hillside or deep in the forest, completely unseen.

You can frame it like this:

“While we’re opening gifts under the tree, bear families are starting under the snow.”

Why Do Bears Need a Winter “Off-Season”?

Winter is tough for big animals that eat a lot:

Plants are scarce or buried
Insects vanish
Moving through snow costs tons of energy

Instead of burning calories searching for food that barely exists, bears:

Bulk up in fall (berries, nuts, salmon, whatever’s on the menu)
Slow everything down in winter (heart rate, movement, metabolism)
Wake up in spring when food returns

It’s like hitting a “pause” button to survive long stretches of cold and scarcity.

Classroom Connection: Bears & December Storytelling

Here are a few ways to pull bear biology into December/Christmas lessons.

1. “Where Is the Bear?” Winter Habitat Map

Have students draw or label:

A forested hillside (black or grizzly bear den)
A northern coastline with sea ice (polar bear out hunting / female in snow den)
A town on the edge of wild habitat

Then ask:

Where is each bear at this time of year?
Who is sleeping? Who is awake and hunting?
What would happen if we left trash or food out near bear habitat?

This helps connect human choices to wildlife safety without being scary.

2. Den vs. Living Room Compare-and-Contrast

On the board, make two columns:

Our December:

Warm house, blankets
Big meals
Bright lights and noise

Bear’s December:

Dark, quiet den
No trips to the kitchen
Heart rate and breathing slowed

Then have students write a short paragraph starting with:

“If I spent December like a bear, I would…”

3. Bear Family Winter Timeline

Create a simple timeline:

Fall: bear eats and builds fat
Early winter: bear finds or digs a den
Mid-winter: cubs are born (for females)
Early spring: family emerges

A Quick Note on Being Good Neighbors to Bears

Even when bears are resting, how we behave in winter and early spring matters:

Keep trash secured and bird feeders managed in bear country
Respect denning areas and closures on trails
Remember that emerging bears in spring are hungry and low on energy

Framed gently for kids:

“The best gift we can give bears is space, quiet places to den, and no easy junk food to tempt them.”

Takeaway for December & Christmas

Bears aren’t gone in winter—they’re just living on a different schedule than we are:

Black bears and grizzlies: mostly hidden, saving energy under the snow
Polar bears: males out hunting on sea ice, mothers in snow dens with tiny cubs
All of them navigating the hardest season of the year with some truly wild adaptations

When you talk about cozy nights, warm blankets, and long winter breaks, it’s the perfect moment to add:

“Somewhere not so far away, a bear is making it through winter with no snacks, no lights, and no breaks… and somehow, that’s exactly what it needs.”