The brownbear
What to do?
Winter is cruel– no food! Berries, ants and plant roots are buried and the bear moves slowly in deep snow. The bear sleeps away the problem. Bears in Northern Sweden, actually sleep half their lives!
Digging the den
Here, a large male digs beneath an anthill in the late autumn. He is making himself a cosy winter den prior to the cold season. Twigs and moss are tossed in all directions but without scaring off the wren, who is watching with curiosity.
Dens differ
The dens vary in appearance. Old, large anthills overgrown with twigs and heather are popular. Lairs are also dug beneath uprooted trees, in a dense and bushy spruce tree or under boulders.
Cosy
The bed is made with twigs,branches and moss. Females furnish the lairs carefully, at least when they are expecting a cub and will give birth during the winter. Bears only use a lair once, except for a rock lair, which may be used several times.
