How Much Do You Think Bears Need To Eat To Bulk Up Before Hibernation?

(CBS4)- Do you know how much bears need to eat to bulk up before hibernation? According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, during late summer and early fall, bears need 20,000 calories a day to gain enough fat to survive the winter without eating or drinking.

CPW took some pictures of bear cubs in rehabilitation at Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehab in Wetmore as they were enjoying a hearty snack. Officers say this time of year, it's basically a feeding frenzy for 20 hours a day.

More than 90% of a bear's natural diet is grasses, berries, fruits, nuts and plants. The rest is primarily insects and scavenged carcasses.

CPW said bears have a nose that's 100 times more sensitive than ours, which means that a bear can literally smell food five miles away!

Learn to be Bear Aware with a special education section on CPW's website which has some other fun facts about bears and how humans can coexist with bears in Colorado.