Many people believe that when bears stand on their hind legs, it is an act of agression. In actuality, this is pasive behavior from a bear, helping them inspect odours, noises, and objects to determine if they are edible, safe, or if they need to investigate further. It's important to know this is a sign of curiosity, and not aggression.
Hibernation
Hibernation is a seasonal state of inactivity that certain animals enter to conserve energy during harsh environmental conditions, particularly winter. Bears enter this period of hibernation by lowering their heart rate and metabolism significantly to conserve energy without food or water. However, during this period, a bear's body temperature does not drop drastically, allowing them to wake up quickly if needed.
Social Life
Bears live in a dominance hierarchy based on age, size and temperament. Mature males are at the top of the hierarchy, and sub-adults and cubs at the bottom. Single females and subadults are usually submissive to mature males but have a loose hierarchy within their own group. An exception to this is if a female has cubs, she may work to chase off an aggressive male who wants to kill the cub(s) in order to put the female back in estrus and mate.