Why the bear sucks its paw: when opinions are wrong

Surely many readers at least once thought about why the bear sucks its paw. After all, everyone has heard about this clubfoot occupation since childhood thanks to fairy tales. What does it mean? Let’s try to figure it out.

Why does a bear suck its paw: when opinions are wrong

В in what cases people were wrong about this phenomenon?

• Our ancestors, trying to understand why the bear sucks its paw, believed that the point was that he was hungry. After all, let’s not forget that this phenomenon occurs in winter. And during cold days, the bear is constantly in the den in a state of sleep and does not eat at all. “So he’s hungry!” – so our ancestors believed. And when the bear comes out of the den, his paw is covered with rags of skin. More precisely, both paws. Therefore, it must be assumed that people used to think that the cause of this phenomenon lies in hunger. Even the stable expression “suck a paw” appeared, which means life from hand to mouth. However, in reality, before hibernation, the bear is stocking up on nutrients with might and main, accumulating fat. In addition, while he sleeps in the den, the vital processes slow down somewhat. As a result, the animal simply cannot experience hunger at this time.
• In many ways, the impression that the bear sucks its paw has developed due to the position of this animal during hibernation. Not everyone was able to see the bear in hibernation with their own eyes, as it is very sensitive at this time. Although, there were still such observers – skillful hunters, for example. It turns out that most often the bear sleeps curled up, which sometimes makes it seem like he is sucking his paw. The front paws are just in the mouth area. Most often, the animal covers their face with them. But, of course, standing for a particularly long time and looking at a sleeping predator is dubious entertainment, so people didn’t always look at it.

Real reasons

So what are the real reasons?

• Very often, this phenomenon can be observed in cubs. They, like all mammals, feed on their mother’s milk for some time. This happens for a long period. Especially if the appearance of babies coincides with the period of hibernation in a she-bear. Then the babies may not release the nipples for several months! Of course, a habit is developed that is relevant for some time even after the milk supply ends. Especially often, according to the researchers, it takes root in babies raised in captivity when they lose their mother too early. There is one interesting parallel that can be drawn: some children, when they finish eating their mother’s milk, also suck their thumb for a while! Other de children prefer pacifiers. In a word, in humans, a similar phenomenon can also often be observed.
• The next phenomenon, due to which even an adult bear can gnaw a paw, is a kind of hygienic procedure. The fact is that the skin on the pads of the bear’s paws is very rough, otherwise the clubfoot would not be able to move on difficult surfaces like stones, for example, in the forest. This skin is a kind of cushion for paws. However, the skin tends to grow back, for which the old one must exfoliate, fall off. That is, there must be a renewal of the skin. When the bear is awake, a layer of old skin slips off due to the constant movements of the clubfoot. But what to do during hibernation? After all, the bear does not move at all at this time. Or it rarely crawls out of the den, but connecting rod bears are rare. But the skin must be updated! Then the bear gnaws on the old layer of skin – it helps it fall off faster to make room for a new layer. This happens often unconsciously during sleep. From the outside, this phenomenon really looks like paw sucking. How does a bear feel through a dream that it is necessary to gnaw off the skin? The fact is, the itching that accompanies such an update makes itself felt even during hibernation. Approximately as in humans, when after a good tan they experience exfoliation of the upper layer of the skin. It’s quite tangible! The same thing happens with bears.

Hibernation – a rather mysterious process bear life. And it is, what is most interesting, has not yet been fully explored. This also applies and paw sucking. However, still some way to clarify this issue.