Polar bears do not truly hibernate, which might seem unusual for a giant predator that has to endure brutally cold temperatures, scarce prey, and a constant battle for survival in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Yet unlike other bears, they don't generally curl up to sleep a season away. We spoke to Dr John Whiteman, Chief Research Scientist at Polar Bears International, to find out more. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Hibernation is a biological process in which animals enter a long-term state of minimal movement and reduced metabolism. It’s much more than a deep sleep; their body temperature plummets while their heart rate and breathing slow down to a barely-there beat.

Many small mammals – including chip

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