Bears generally become reproductively mature between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. Bears are polygamous, so it is common for an individual bear (of either sex) to mate with multiple bears within one mating season. A female bear may give birth to cubs with different fathers in the same litter. Male bears will court females with a variety of behaviors, including barking, biting, hugging, mock fighting, and kissing. This behavior can take between a couple hours up to a couple days.