Summary Learn about the fat and fur on a bear, and why it needs such insulation Science content Biology: Features, Adaptations of Living Things (K, 1, 3, 7) Biology: Classification of Living Things, Biodiversity (1, 3) Activities in this lesson Fur study Fur for keeping warm Fat test for keeping warm Bear food Procedure Students rotate between three stations: Fur study Look at real fur, to find the guard hairs and the fluffy underfur. Fur for keeping warm Feel a bottle of iced water through fur and cloths of different thicknesses. Fat for keeping warm Feel a bottle of iced water through a layer of fat. Both the fat and fur stop heat from leaving your hand, so they keep it warm. They are insulators. Bears have thick fur and a layer of fat to keep warm. The fur and fat layers both get thicker before hibernation. The fat is also an energy reserve for the bears. At the end of hibernation a lot of the fat has gone, as the body has used it up. The fur also protects against wet and wind. End with Bear food as a demonstration. Add food to a scale until it tips (at 5kg), to show just a snack for a black bear before it hibernates. Other activity ideas: 1. Feel our heart rate. When an animal hibernates its heart rate slows down. Take our temperature. When an animal hibernates its temperature drops. 2. Watch webcam of Grouse Mountain grizzly bears hibernating. https://www.grousemountain.com/web-cams/bear-den-cam They hibernate for about 4 months. Bears lower heart rate to a third, but only drop body temp by a degree (like us at night). Dormant bears do not eat, drink, urinate or defaecate, the heart rate drops from 50–60 beats/min to 8–12/beats min, and oxygen consumption is only 32% of that of actively foraging bears. 3. Lots of bear videos, and bear vocalizations at www.bear.org Grades taught Gr K Gr 1 Gr 2
