Winter is a season that causes many of us to slow down and feel lethargic, wanting to burrow inside during those chilly months until spring.

For most bears, this torpor (see definition and hear pronunciation below) is a way to keep them going for the rest of the year.

The American black bear, for instance, can curl up and hibernate for up to 100 days.

Polar bears, which have the thickest fur of any species, don’t hibernate in the same way other bears do, but they move more slowly and rest often.

That’s not surprising, considering the natural habitats of polar bears have some of the coldest temperatures imaginable–Arctic air falls to -29 degrees in winter, and Northern Siberia can get as frigid as -92 degrees!

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: When do you think torpor can be beneficial?

Torpor: A state of physical or mental inactivity; lethargy.

Click to hear the pronunciation of torpor:

https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/torpor.mp3