“The bear sucks one paw, but lives all winter long,” says a Russian proverb. The expression "to suck a paw" has long been stable and means to live from hand to mouth. There is an opinion that the bear sucks its paw during hibernation. But is it?
Everyone heard that the bear sucks its paw. This is believed to help him survive the lack of food in the winter, as there is a lot of fat in the paw. This version is many centuries old. But the level of modern technology allows you to penetrate into the den and "spy" the behavior of bears during hibernation. Zoologists are sure that bears do not suck their paws. Scientists have their own explanation for this amusing invention. Bears sleep with their hind legs tucked in, and covering their muzzles with their front legs. This could have confused hunters who found sleeping bears in this position. In addition, bears' paws cover very thick layers of skin. During hibernation, a new layer grows under the old layer of hardened skin. And to relieve the itching, bears gnaw at the exfoliated crust. When clubfoots get out of their den in spring, the soles of their paws are covered with rags of skin. During hibernation, the bear is practically motionless. His body temperature varies from 29 to 34 degrees, breathing is intermittent, with a delay of up to 4 minutes. All the vital activity of the body slows down, which makes it possible to very slowly and rationally use the reserves of fat accumulated during the period of abundant feed. Bear cubs raised in captivity suck their paws. Bear cubs are born in winter, and the only source of food and heat is provided by the mother bear. The nipples of female bears are not located along the abdominal line, as in most animals, but in the groin and armpits. The bear cub constantly keeps a nipple in its mouth and spends the whole winter on a warm mother's skin. Cubs in captivity are nipple-fed. To somehow compensate for the absence of the mother-bear, they begin to suck their paws between feedings. In zoopsychology, this is called behavioral pathology. Today, there are almost no secrets of the animal world. And as observations and studies of bears have shown, they do not suck their paws from hunger in winter. Perhaps they lick or gnaw, but this happens for a different reason.
