Now the Bears are Awake!

At this point, saying "the world's climate is changing" is like pointing out water is wet.

See for example:

Extreme autumn temperatures cause unseasonable flowering in the Netherlands
Some European birds delay migration due to warmth
U.K. Sees Warmest Year Since 1659 as Climate Changes
ASIA: '06 warmest year in history
European Alps 'warmest in 1,300 years'
Warming seas drive shoreline species north
Nature responds to warming signs: Some insects and microscopic organisms have already shifted their behavior in response to the changing climate.

But even now, I stumble across the occasional article that just drops my jaw on this topic... :shk:

www.firstpeople.us..." border=0>

Scientists reveal that bears have stopped hibernating


Bears have stopped hibernating in the mountains of northern Spain, scientists revealed yesterday, in what may be one of the strongest signals yet of how much climate change is affecting the natural world.

In a December in which bumblebees, butterflies and even swallows have been on the wing in Britain, European brown bears have been lumbering through the forests of Spain's Cantabrian mountains, when normally they would already be in their long, annual sleep.

Bears are supposed to slumber throughout the winter, slowing their body rhythms to a minimum and drawing on stored resources, because frozen weather makes food too scarce to find. The barely breathing creatures can lose up to 40 per cent of their body weight before warmer springtime weather rouses them back to life.

More...

For whatever the cause, let's hope we and our children live through these changing times...

[edit on 21-12-2006 by loam]

This is a definate clue to natures restlessness to climate change. Don't forget the polar bears Screw THE cars, factorys, airplanes, NASA, and all white mans creations can be damned!

7A

Without NASA, the modern environmentalist movement wouldn't even exist. Please don't lump them in with the rest...



[edit on 21-12-2006 by sardion2000]

I can't speak for European bears, but North American Black and Brown bears do not hibernate. That is a common misunderstanding. Bears have extended periods of deep sleep during the winter, but not true hibernation. It is normal for bears to wake up every few weeks and go foraging for food during winter. In mild winters they wake up more often, severe winters less.

Excellent finding, Loam!



I always admire your hard work and information. All the links you gave are amazing!

I am afraid that we will see much more changes than we expect.

Ptolomeo.