Do black bears hibernate?
Well, the answer is that bears hibernate throughout North America and certainly in North Carolina. In its simplest definition, hibernation is a specialized reduction in metabolism brought about by low food availability and/or low temperatures. In northern areas of the U.S. and Canada, bears hibernate as long as 8 months without moving from their den. In the South, bears exhibit the same characteristics, only for shorter time periods. Based on hundreds of radio-collared black bears studied across the state, we know that the vast majority of our bears hibernate. Females typically hibernate longer than males. North Carolina’s bears just do it for shorter time periods than their northern cousins. A bear study by radio-telemetry in eastern North Carolina showed that bears enter dens as early as November and as late as January. These same bears exited dens as early as February and as late as April. This result makes it possible for bear sightings and road kills in all months and the misconce
