So I just watched the
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom show about bears. The tivo machine caught it the other day (at my vague request), so I gave it a shot.
I must say that the "new" Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom show is vastly inferior to the "old" Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom show--the one I watched as a child (I'm 33) and have subconsciously and nostalgically built up in my mind as The Greatest Nature Show History Has Ever Known (assuming you don't count The Life Of Mammals, which I discovered much later in life, after my nostalgic take on MoO'sWK had already been formed.)
But I digress. We were talking about bears and sex and (in particular) bear sex.
The
Wild Kingdom show told me that female bears can get pregnant every 3-4 years (I forget which). They raise their cubs for 2 years, alone, then head off on their own for awhile--the adolescent bears have a decent chance of survival alone after 2 years. The fathers never help out with raising the cubs at all.
Anyway, the show was emphatic on the following point, so I emphasize it here, though the words are my own.
Bear embryos do not begin to form immediately upon conception. There is a lag time of several months. Over the course of those months, if the mother does not eat enough of the right foods to ensure that everyone concerned will survive cubbirth, no embryos. Remember: the mother has vast nutritional needs just to survive her own hibernation. Add to that the needs of newborn baby bears and it's easy to see that a mother must "frontload" considerably if she and her children are to survive a "pregnant winter." So bear embryos do not form--though they've been conceived--until months after conception, and even then only after certain nutritional needs are met.
(OK. Sorry. "BEAR SEX" is a catchier title than "Bear Reproduction." I apologize for misleading any sick perverts who might be reading.)
I have no idea if any of the words in the divbox above are correct--it's just what the show said--but it sounds both reasonable and crazy cool. And very weird. And I'm not sure yet if having this (to me) new knowledge affects in any way the views I might or might not have concerning life, conception, and the rest of that whole megillah. You know what I mean? If you do, I'd love to read your comments.
Anyway. I'm going to start looking some of this bear reproduction stuff up when I'm done writing the diary (and some refresher human reproduction stuff, too). Usually I post diaries after I've done the research, but I'm making an exception in this case because I trust the Wild Kingdom not to mislead me too badly. Obviously, if any knowledgeable expert-types notice this and want to help me out, I'd appreciate it.
So, yeah. Three sensible topics for comments: (1) Life and conception; (2) Bear reproduction; (3) Wild Kingdom. And, of course, any number of tangentially sensible topics for comments: "Dude, this has been diaried already, please delete," "aoeu," "You demented prevert," "Excellent! Recommended!" "Snark," "Deadbeat Bears," Etc....
Update Here's a link about what the TV show said, it's called "delayed implantation." I'm still studying. And I got distracted by something on the front page. I should never have posted the damn diary without some sort of link. You people have high expectations.
Further Update
Delayed Implantation in Roe Deer:
The European roe deer is the only artiodactyl (even-toed hoofed mammal) to exhibit the phenomenon of delayed implantation. After the egg is released from the ovary in the female and fertilised by the sperm from the buck, it travels to the uterus and remains for five months unattached ‘floating’ within the uterus. During this time the cells of the embryo divide and multiply very slowly. Unlike those of other species (including those with delayed implantation), the unimplanted embryo controls its own growth in the uterus. At the end of December or early January, when the embryo is little more than 0.3mm long, it rapidly expands without any apparent cue from the mother. After a short period of very fast growth, the embryo attaches to the inner wall of the uterus, forming a link with the mother through the placenta, and normal foetal growth follows for a further five months.
Delayed implantation is a very successful strategy for roe deer. In late July, when mating takes place, does are in peak body condition as a result of a plentiful supply of food and are, therefore, at their most fertile. Does continue to gain reserves during the autumn while the ‘floating’ embryo or embryos – roe deer usually have twins and sometimes triplets – are making very little demands on her. She then has sufficient reserves to see her through winter, when food is scarcer and of poorer nutritional value. When the kids are eventually born in late May, the climate is favourable, giving them a better chance of survival.
I'm beginning to get the idea now. Thanks to those who have commented.
Wild Kingdom has misled me somewhat.