Grinder and coola enter 21st hibernation
Posted by Devin Manky November 8, 2021
Grinder and Coola, the two Grizzly Bear inhabitants residing at our wildlife refuge, entered their 21st hibernation/winter period here on Grouse Mountain today - November 8, 2021. This marks their earliest entry into hibernation yet - beating their previous record of November 10th set just last year in 2020.
Last year they had a record long dormancy of 170 days - a whopping five and a half months! We'll see what this year brings.
Before entering their den for the final time both bears were at their maximum winter weights - Coola tipped the scale at 1050 pounds and Grinder was 100 lbs lighter at 950 pounds. They both added about 225 pounds from their summer weights over the last two months from early September until now.
Grinder and Coola will spend the next few months in the darkness of their den but be sure to check them out on our infrared webcam at: https://www.grousemountain.com/web-cams/bear-den-cam . There is a time lapse feature in the upper right corner where you can get a quick video of all their activity from the previous day. It may surprise you but they are not just sleeping soundly all the time in the den - they regularly move around, reposition, stretch, remake the bed and even go for sleep wanders. This activity keeps their bones and muscles healthy and keeps them ready to go should they decide the winter is over!
Goodnight bears! We'll see you again (in person) in the spring!
