What Bears Tell Us: teacher key

Black Bears, grade 11 edition, written for 11th grade. Scientists study how black bears count, think and rest, following the numbers, the DNA and the long winter sleep.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What does Wyoming Game and Fish build a hair snare from?
   • A fishing net
   • A ring of barbed wire around trees (answer)
   • A wooden fence
2. In the Alaska study, what did scientists find about the bears' body temperature?
   • It stayed at 37
   • It fell to zero
   • It cycled between about 30 and 36 degrees Celsius (answer)
3. Based on mitochondrial DNA, which bear is the American black bear's closest relative?
   • The Asiatic black bear (answer)
   • The polar bear
   • The grizzly bear
4. Why does delayed implantation help a female bear?
   • She grows faster
   • She can swim farther
   • She avoids spending fat and energy on a pregnancy with little chance of success (answer)
5. What do the tests on counting objects suggest about black bears?
   • They cannot count
   • They can tell numbers apart at or above a great ape's level (answer)
   • They count only in fall

Words

• dormancy: winter rest
• metabolism: body's energy use
• implantation: egg settling in
• Carnivora: meat-eater order