Thanks to fiber-optic camera technology, you can watch real-time footage of a black bear named Lugnut as she hibernates in a den beneath an upturned sugar maple in northern Maine.
Just two weeks ago, the 8-year-old Lugnut gave birth to two cubs (watch video above.) Because of their demands, her hibernation won’t be as deep as usual, and she’ll wake regularly to check on them. Most of the time, however, the cubs will be curled up against Lugnut’s warm belly, nursing as she sleeps.
The camera is a joint project of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Wildlife Research Foundation.
Viewers will notice that Lugnut is wearing a radio collar. At any given moment, between 75 and 100 female Maine black bears wear the collars, which allow researchers to monitor their locations and habits.
The cubs will likely stay in the den for several months, and with their mother for more than a year, departing only when they’ve learned enough to survive on their own. The camera is expected to stay on indefinitely, so viewers will have a chance to watch them grow up.
Video: Lugnut gives birth to two cubs. (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife/Wildlife Research Foundation)
