March Madness is in full swing. But there’s another tournament also happening right now – March Napness! It’s an annual bracket-style tournament, just like March Madness, but instead of basketball teams, it’s bears “competing” to see who remains in hibernation the longest. March Napness is run by the global animal welfare organization Four Paws. They have over 135 rescued brown bears in sanctuaries around the world. Six of the sanctuaries are in Europe, where the competition is held. You can find out more about March Napness here.
Bears are far from the only animals that hibernate! Lots of other animals hibernate for the winter too, including bats, rodents, garter snakes, box turtles, and hedgehogs. Hibernation allows animals to conserve energy when food isn’t available in the winter. During this state, they lower their body temperature (by 60 degrees or more in some cases!), and slows their breathing rate, heart rate, and metabolic rate. Before hibernation, larger species consume a large amount of food, storing the energy in their bodies in the form of fat deposits. Learn more in the audio below!