After reading the two National Geographic articles:
Hibernating Bears Keep Weirdly Warm and Warming Creating Extinction Risks for Hibernators
Write a response about how a changing climate may affect the black bear population in New Jersey.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
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Black bears hibernate each winter throughout New Jersey and most of North America for about six months.Yet the black bears are currently in danger.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, black bears must eat large amounts of food in preparation for hibernation- global warming affects the size, growth, and growing times of many foods that black bears often eat. This is dangerous as the black bears can die without proper nutrition.
Secondly, global warming means the temperatures are overall much warmer. In warmer temperature the bears will have shorter hibernation. This means that the bears will be awake more often, stressing food supply. This could kill off many wild black bears.
how does climate change affect hibernating animals?
ReplyDeleteAs the weather gets warmer each year, some species of animals have been changing their sleeping patterns to adapt to the temperature changes. For example, marmots, which once used to sleep until past the third week of May, have, in recent years, been waking up by the third week of April. Studies suggest that climate changes having been causing some animals to not hibernate at all. This increases animals' risk of starvation and extinction.
They could starve because the plants they normally eat have not sprouted when they wake up earlier than they should.
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ReplyDeleteClimate change is causing the average temperatures to increase. This tricks the hibernating animals (black bears, in this case) into thinking that it is springtime. When the bear emerges from its den, there is still snow on the ground and little food to eat. This could cause the animal to starve or even freeze to death in cold temperatures it is not built to withstand unsheltered. This could cause mass deaths among the black bear population in New Jersey.
ReplyDeleteClimate change is affecting black bears in New Jersey. First, climate change can affect the growth of food that they need to load up on before they hibernate, making them malnourished during hibernation. Next, climate change can make the bears overheat during the winter and make them think it is spring. If they think it is spring, they will wake up early which could mean death. This could result in death because the food they need could not be grown yet and the temperatures could be too cold for them to live in without hibernating in shelter. Lastly, if the temperatures are too hot, the bears could overheat and die.
ReplyDeleteBears hibernate not on an internal clock like animals such as the ground squirrel. They hibernate based on the temperature outside. Climate change would effect them because while they hibernate they do not eat any food. If the weather is warmer for longer the bears would be awake for longer and have to find food. If more bears are awake looking for food, the food supply would start to decline and many bears would starve. Also, if they wake up earlier, the plants that they eat will not have sprouted yet and there will be no food for them to eat once they wake up. Climate change could have a negative impact on the bear population in New Jersey.
ReplyDeleteThe climate change is affecting hibernating animals in many different ways. First off, climate change has caused sleeping patterns to change. This is because the increasing temperatures earlier in the year cause black bears to wake up at times that they would normally be snoozing. Their bodies believe it is spring when in reality it is still winter. When these animals wake up, there will still be snow on the ground and little food sources because no plants have sprouted yet.
ReplyDeleteClimate Change, along with the general trend of warming temperatures on Earth, have caused hibernations of mammals like the black bear to end early or to not occur at all. Unfortunately, this means mammals can awake in what they think is the spring and suffer through food scarcity, as plants are reliant on certain levels of sunlight. Black bear populations could significantly decrease from starvation or could become endangered by exposing themselves to hunters or scared people, likely to shoot on sight.
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