Jewel's big foot and cub's tiny feet - Feb 27, 2012With so much to do in the office, the winter is going too fast and the field season will soon be upon us. We’re counting on the Den-Watch Team to catch the den action as we scramble to catch up on many details.
Today we saw Faith licking snow off Lily. Later, while reviewing the archives, we could see the full sequence of events—and we got a chuckle! Faith was awake with her head on Lily’s back. Snow outside the den must have shifted, because snow fell first into the big opening of the den and then—PLOP—right on Faith’s head from a smaller opening above their bed! Her response was to calmly lick the snow she could see—the snow on Lily’s back. See if you can follow the sequence in the image. If you’re viewing it from the website it will enlarge for you.
A video of highlights from yesterday of Jewel and cubs is online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djpmp0EH9T4.
This morning about 7 AM, Lucky was sleeping peacefully near the den entrance, breathing 3.0 times per minute (9 breaths in 3 minutes), and Honey was breathing 3.3 times per minute (10 breaths in 3 minutes). Strange noises from Honey did not interrupt Lucky’s breathing pattern.
How long before they argue? What will happen when one does something unusual, like standing up and wanting to go outside for a bite of snow or to relieve himself or herself. We could tell there was tension a couple weeks ago when Honey defecated in her bed rather than doing what other bears do and as we all have seen Jewel do—backing out the entrance a little way.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center