An enchanting story by the Press Association spotted today. Researchers studying grizzly bears have discovered the cuddly-looking (but deadly) creatures don’t suffer from heart attacks, nor do their arteries stiffen. Must be their healthy lifestyles, I hear you say. Well not necessarily, say the researchers from Washington State University bear research centre (sounds like a fun place to work, huh?).
Apparently, grizzly bears, which share 95 percent of the same DNA as humans, can have up to 50 percent body fat – something that would make any personal trainer drop into a dead faint – and they’re far from active, since they sleep for almost half the year. Lucky things.
Perhaps hibernation has something to do with it. When the grizzlies hibernate, their heart rate drops from around 80 beats per minute (that’s when they’re awake) to 20 bpm or even lower. And even though tests show their blood starts to pool in their hearts while they’re asleep, they don’t suffer from blood clots.
Amazing.
Seems we’ve got a lot to learn from these majestic animals. Now if only we could stop them being hunted, murdered, imprisoned and cruelly treated…