Their unique metabolic system constantly stabilizes all life processes including the ability to recycle nitrogen thereby preventing toxic uremia which would be fatal to the bear. On emerging from hibernation, bears are very lethargic for several weeks. This slowness gradually lessens as their metabolic system returns to pre-hibernation levels. Reproduction Adult bears come together as mating pairs for two to three weeks during the annual breeding season. The males are attracted to the female by the distinctive scent she gives off as she enters estrus, the time when she is ready to conceive.
Bears mate in a manner similar to wolves, coyotes and dogs.
The male mounts from the rear with the male often clasping his forelimbs around the female's waist to maintain his balance and hold her in position. The length of copulation may vary from one to twenty minutes with both species and individual variability being present. After a period of repeated copulations, the female and male separate and return to their solitary lifestyles. Bears from warmer climates who do not hibernate give birth at any time of the year. However, for bears from moderate to severe climates, the birth of young takes place during hibernation.