Great Smoky Mountains National Park Is Bear Country: What You Need to Know

Where do the bears go when it gets cold? They go to sleep! Well… most of the time.While American black bears do sleep during the winter, they aren’t considered true hibernators. Instead, they enter a lighter state of rest called torpor. Torpor is a state of hibernation, just less intense with a few differences.Here’s how torpor compares to true hibernation:🟡 Similarities– Like true hibernators, black bears don’t eat, drink, urinate, or defecate while in torpor.– Both torpor and true hibernation