From TV screens in various cartoons, people were convinced that bears love honey. A striking example is the character of the animated series Winnie the Pooh. In addition, there are a number of books with illustrations that indicate the love of bears for honey. But is it? Do bears eat honey, do they really love this delicacy so much?
Origin of the word "bear"
The very word "bear", according to experts in the field of linguistics, is directly related to the animal's addiction to honey. Literally translated from ancient Arabic, it can be translated as "lover of honey." There is a version that ancient scientists have repeatedly observed the lifestyle of these animals in the wild. Thanks to this, they were able to understand whether bears eat honey and how they get this delicacy. It is noteworthy that during the process of hunting for honey, bears are almost unstoppable.
Often, beekeepers placing hives in forests are forced to install various means of protection. Traps, electric fences and other security methods can protect the apiary, but cause damagebear populations. Sometimes powerful predators die in these traps, but cannot retreat, as the addiction to honey is stronger.
Why do bears love honey
Zoologists have long puzzled over whether bears eat honey in the wild. Or is everything limited only to pogroms of apiaries? Scientists were also interested in the question of why the omnivorous bear eats honey and what it is connected with. It turned out that this predilection of the animal is nothing but a necessity that can greatly facilitate life. The fact is that honey has an exceptionally high calorie content and contains large quantities of carbohydrates, fructose and glucose. These elements are necessary for the bear to build up fat before hibernation. This fat itself is the guarantor of animal safety in the cold season.
The process of extracting honey for a bear is a simple process. Thanks to a well-developed sense of smell, the animal easily finds the source of the sweet smell. In order to find the coveted hive, it is enough for a bear to catch a faint aroma, while the hive can be located several kilometers from the animal. Smelling honey, the animal's survival instincts are activated. They are pushing the bear to extract a product that is vital for him.
The period when bears are most active in the search for honey falls on summer time. Scientists are wondering if bears eat honey in the rest of the year? The answer to it is unequivocal - they eat, but in smaller quantities. In the summer, animals fatten up the bulk of the fat, preparing for hibernation. Therefore consumptionhoney maximum. It is noteworthy that if the bear did not manage to gain the required amount of fat over the summer, he will not hibernate and will roam the forests. Such animals are called rods. The connecting rod bear is very dangerous. Such beasts tend to attack anyone they meet on their way.
Do polar bears eat honey?
Detecting honey-eating polar bears is not easy. Therefore, it is not completely clear whether bears living in polar conditions eat honey. The difficulty lies in a fairly simple thing. In the habitats of a polar bear, there simply cannot be honey. These animals live in a harsh northern climate. There are no wild bees, just as there are no beekeepers with beehives. However, there is an opinion that if a polar bear finds honey, it will definitely eat it. This is due to the fact that the habits and diet of the northern bear are not much different from the lifestyle of its forest counterparts.
