Hobbies And Interests
Terrain
The terrain found in a bear cub's habitat varies tremendously based on the species of bear. Brown bears and their cubs, for example, inhabit meadows and forested areas as well as mountainous regions, while Spectacled bears tend towards areas of steppe, inland deserts and other secluded regions. Black bear cubs can be found mostly in forests, but black bears can adapt to swamps and mountains. Polar bears, meanwhile, live on the archipelagos and tundra of the Arctic Circle.
Dens and Early Life
Most bear cubs are born into dens, areas prepared by their mothers beforehand; since the mother bear generally hibernates to give birth, bear cubs are usually born in winter or at the start of spring. These bear cubs are nursed until spring is underway and then learn to explore the area around the den, picking up hunting skills along the way. A bear cub's early habitat differs according to the species of bear. Black bears, for example, tend to create hidden areas at the bottom of trees to protect their cubs, while Sun bears keep their young under branches and other types of forest cover until they can survive on their own.
Behavior Within Habitat
Bear cubs learn a number of important lessons as they grow up within their habitat with their mother. The most important is how to hunt and find food; in the case of some bears, for instance brown bears, this lesson begins early on but bear cubs can still end up spending two or more years with their mothers. The amount of time a bear cub spends with its parent differs based on how abundant a habitat is; bear curbs born into sparser regions with less potential food tend to stay with their mothers for longer. Bear cubs also learn how to climb up trees and other methods of evading predators at this early stage of their life.
Threats to Habitats
The threats to bear habitats can have a particular impact on bear cubs, which may struggle to survive where their older kin can. Human destruction of bear habitats is a threat to all of bear kind, since it reduces the amount of food bears have, and thus means that bear cubs may starve to death. In the Arctic Circle, the melting of the ice caps has left polar bears with less ground to live and hunt on; as a result, young polar bears are forced to swim increasingly long distances for food, something that not all are able to cope with.