Yawns are catchyThe cubs are changing fast—in form and function. Their mouths are changing from the sucking mouths of newborn cubs to the biting mouths they will need for foraging. The eruption of teeth is part of that. Teething is now an activity—everything gets chewed. Play is frequent and full-blown. It’s a joy to see the same cubs that compete for nipples play so well.
Male is serious about play...Although the male looks to us to be the more coordinated and agile, it was the female who dominated the nipples between 6:30 and 7 CDT. She nursed and hummed while the male tried to wedge in to grab a nipple of his own. 
...and she's down!The female was on a right nipple, which seemed strange to us after seeing her on a left nipple so often. The male never seemed satisfied. He was bawling as if he wasn’t satisfied even when he had a nipple in his mouth. Eventually, the female finished with her nipple and matter of factly wedged in on the male and pushed him out of contention without much protest. Neither cub vocalized at that moment. Unbelievable the views we are now getting. The camera, Lily, and the cubs all are frequently in perfect positions. Way to go Tech Team!
Cubs snuggled in Lily's furWe can’t wait to meet these cubs in person. We want to see if the identifying forehead markings (the V for the male and the wide U for the female) look the same in sunlight as in the camera. We wonder how big they really are. We’re guessing 5 pounds already, which is extra big for this time of year. We talked to a man who is raising a couple black bear cubs in Michigan, and they are much smaller with eyes that are not open yet, which seems late to us.
Cubs spar around Lily's headWe’re looking for an opportunity to watch Lily’s face as she sleeps. With the good resolution this year, could we see the eye movements and ear twitches that go with REM sleep? We saw that in the cubs earlier this year as their eyes were opening, as reported in the February 17 update, but the cubs are not hibernating. We’ve documented REM sleep in adult bears during late summer, but we haven’t documented it during hibernation. Documenting REM sleep during hibernation would give insight into mental function during that state.
Cub playWe 
Lily joins in the playare still wondering if Lily’s big blustery move a couple nights ago was due to dreaming of danger or a gust of wind. Wind speeds at that time, according to weather records for 2:53 AM, were 12 to 24 mph. Out in that clear-cut, wind doesn’t make much noise that would pick up in the microphone. Big conifers with needles have been cut, and the main vegetation is aspen seedlings/saplings with no leaves. Could a gust of wind have reached into the den and ruffled her fur? Is that why she turned toward the direction of the wind? Or was that the direction she would dream danger would likely be? If bears don’t do REM sleep during hibernation, do they dream? 
Two cubs head to headREM sleep is associated with dreams in humans. A Lily Fan sent a nice article on REM and dreaming at http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2001/dreaming.html, but we don’t know of any studies of REM in hibernating animals.
Ted, Lucky, and Honey still haven’t stirred. Maybe we should be watching visible Ted for REM.
Jewel and her yearlings are the same as ever, nursing some, playing some, and resting deeply in a cozy pile.
Lily's bear feet!Today we learned we've converted the contractor who's building the Hope Learning Center. He told us he used to carry a gun and shoot everything, but now when he goes fishing on Lake of the Woods, he loves seeing bears. He said in early June bears come to the shore to eat dead Mayflies that wash ashore and make piles several inches deep. 
Lily and cubWhen he comes close, the bears sometimes chomp their jaws and he now knows that means the bears are afraid and he just says in a nice voice not to be afraid and sits quietly in his boat looking non-threatening. He said the bears calm down and resume eating and he has a totally different attitude toward bears and wild animals. The contractor will leave his mark on the Bear Center, much as the Bear Center has left its mark on him.
With 2 days to go in voting to name the cubs at http://www.bear.org/website/cub-naming.html, y’all just went over 5,300 votes. By the end of March 23, we can be calling the cubs by name.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.