Adaptations for Seasons of Food Scarcity

• A stocky body for carrying fat and minimizing heat loss in winter
• Ability to grow dense insulating fur
• Ability to accumulate excess fat when food is available and remain healthy doing so
• Ability to reduce their metabolism (hibernate) in seasons of scarcity.
• Ability to mate when food is scarce in late spring and early summer, delay implantation of the blastocyst until November, give birth in the den in mid-winter, and in many ways arrange their annual life cycle of behavior and physiology to maximize efficiency of feeding during the time of year when food is most available.