One of the most famous representatives of fauna of Russia is a brown bear. Very few people from ordinary people saw it in wildlife, but, nevertheless, information on its habits is rather widespread through popular literature and telecasts. And one of questions which can arise at the person who is interested in behavior of bears is why they suck paws?
The behavior of a bear, as well as any other animal, is defined first of all by his habitat. In particular, the brown bear lives in rather severe continental and sharply continental climate that creates for it problems in finding of food in the winter. Therefore over time the nature created the mechanism helping a bear to have hungry time is a hibernation. In the fall the wild animal accumulates subcutaneous fat by means of the strengthened food, and then finds the suitable place for hibernation.
Hibernation cannot be equated to an ordinary dream. At this time the bear is in some kind of semi-sleepiness. And just the national rumor refers so-called "sucking of a paw" to this period. This phenomenon by the fact that the bear allegedly exhausts from it nutrients is explained.Modern scientists disproved similar views. Nevertheless, rumors that the bear sucks a paw in the winter have under themselves the real basis. The fact is that in cold season it like animals has some kind of "molt" - the upper layer of the skin on soles of paws dies off to be replaced with new. It causes to a bear inconvenience because of what he licks paws - it helps to reduce the naggers and to get rid of the horny sites of skin. Hunters of former times could take this process for sucking of a paw. Actually, the opinion that the bear sucks a paw can be disproved also without scientific observations, having just connected common sense. The animal cannot ensure food thus. Nevertheless, absolutely little bear cubs at whom similar reflexes still remained can suck a paw. They do it in a dream. As well as human babies, bear cubs thus calm themselves. In some cases, for example, if the bear is brought up by people, thus he compensates a lack of contact with mother she-bear.