Moscow, December 7: Male brown bears in Siberia have trouble sleeping due to unusually high temperatures in October and November, which hampers their hibernation. They have prepared for their long winter nap, but the warm weather keeps them awake. Some were seen roaming around the Amur Region in Siberia in a sleepy state.

The Department for the Protection of Wildlife of the Amur Region explained in a Telegram post on November 20 that the warm weather disrupted the bears’ hibernation. The temperatures in October were up to 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, higher than the average. The bears’ hibernation is delayed by the warm weather and the melting snow, which makes their dens wet and uncomfortable. The post said, “Warm November prevents bears from sleeping in the Amur region. In some areas, half-asleep bears still walk near the dens. They no longer need to eat fat for the winter [most normal bears have long been ready for hibernation], but they are also prevented from finally going to bed by the ‘indecently’ high air temperature to their taste.” Russian Miners Blow Up Brown Bear After Luring Animal to Food Rigged With Explosives (Watch Video).

According to a LiveScience report, bears lower their metabolism during hibernation, but they can also stay active in the early winter by adjusting their metabolism. The sleepy bears are probably in a low-metabolism state. Still, they have not started their winter sleep yet, Oivind Toien, a zoophysiologist and research assistant professor at the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, told the outlet. The temperatures in November are usually below freezing in the region, but the above-average temperatures made the sleeping conditions unsuitable for the bears.

Toien added, “Temperatures above freezing in wet, snowy conditions could cause melt-water to enter dens [and] that could make it uncomfortable for bears to stay in.” The unpleasant sleeping environment affects males more than females. Drunk Russian Man Sits on Bear While Drinking Liquor, Leaves Wild Animal Furious (Watch Video).

In its post, the Department for the Protection of Wildlife of the Amur Region said, “Females with cubs do not face such a problem. These furry mothers took their fluffy offspring into their dens strictly according to the schedule—at the end of October. And no weather anomalies bother them.” The Moscow Times reported that the region had its warmest October on record, and it is especially vulnerable to climate change, which impacts Russia faster than the rest of the world because of its closeness to the Arctic. Warm air in the spring signals the end of hibernation, and a rise in temperatures by 1 degree Celsius can shorten a bear’s hibernation time by several days, California radio station CapRadio reported.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 07, 2023 06:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).