Even after a yearling bear starts to feed independently, it needs protection from older males, which will kill and eat cubs. Learning plays a large role in a cub ability to obtain food. Its relatively slow development and prolonged tie with its mother enable a cub to observe and replicate the mother skills. Even the predominantly herbivorous spectacled bear must learn when and where to find the most nutritious parts of plants in each season. Omnivorous black and brown bears survive by remembering from year to year where and when to return to salmon runs, rich patches of ripe berries, and other concentrated foods important for energy reserves for hibernation.
Bears appear to sense and avoid each other at a distance.
Within a home range, trees may be clawed, bitten, and rubbed to serve as communicating signposts. Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Any mammal that remains inactive for many weeks with a body temperature lower than normal may be said to be in hibernation, but physiological changes that occur during dormancy differ greatly among different species.