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Grizzly bears cubs start eating solid foods at a few months old, but they will continue nursing for as long as 3 years. The mother bear will decide when she wants her cubs to stop nursing. This is usually when she is ready to mate again. image: Pixabay.com 6. Bears use trees as babysitters for their cubs

By the time the mother and cubs emerge from the den in late March or April, the cubs weigh 10 to 15 kg (22-33 lb.). Bears have anywhere from 1-5 cubs at a time, with 2 being the most common number. Most bears are capable of raising 2 cubs, with the exception of the Giant Panda. The Giant panda will often discard the weaker cub in favor of the stronger one, this is more common when the mother has a decreased milk supply or is a first-time mom. image: Pixabay.com 2. Bears have delayed implantation Mother polar bears are extremely protective of their young, even risking their own lives in their cubs' defense. Most dens are on land, within 16 km (10 mi.) of the coast. In some areas, dens are more than 100 km (62 mi.) from the coast. A few polar bears make dens on the sea ice.Polar bear cubs learn to hunt by watching their mother. Cubs try hunting in their first year, but don't seem to be successful until they're over one year old. Even then, they only spend about 4% of their time hunting. By the time they're two years old they spend about 7% of their time hunting and can catch a seal every five or six days. Females usually dig dens in snowdrifts on southerly facing slopes. Some dig earthen dens that later become covered by snow.

The most frequent litter size is two, followed by litters of one. Litters of three are less common than twins or singles, and litters of four are rare. Polar bear cubs are born November through January in a den. Mother and cubs emerge from their den in late March or April.

Delayed implantation assures that the cub is born during the best time of the year for survival and allows the female to get into good physical condition and use her energy for nursing her newborn cubs. Polar bear cubs are vulnerable for the first few months of their lives. They are easy prey for predators like arctic foxes. Staying in their dens keeps them warm, and protects them from predators. When they leave they will be about 15lbs and more difficult prey for other arctic hunters. 10. Sunbear cubs are early foragers During their first few weeks of life, polar bear cubs nurse most of the time and stay close to their mother to keep warm. Because of the bears' body heat and snow insulation, the den stays warmer than the outside air temperature. Scientists are now using this heat to detect bears with forward-looking infrared technology (FLIR). The actual gestation length for bears is difficult to calculate. Bears can experience something called “embryonic diapause” or delayed implantation. This means that an egg is fertilized, and begins to develop into a blastocyst. The blastocyst will stop development until it implants in the uterine wall. It may be waiting for the bear to gain an appropriate amount of weight for gestation, or for an environmental factor to be just right. For this reason, a bear may technically be pregnant for 140 days but only actually gestate for 60. 3. Bears have very small babies