Dana P.

Why Bears Live in Dens and Caves

Bears in the spring used to sleep behind rooks.  Then in the winter, the snow and leaves covered the bears up over their bodies.  But one day a herd of mountain lions moved into their territory.  Early in the morning  some of the adult mountain lions went out for fish.  When they came back, they fed the fish to their cubs.  So the bears had no food. Then when the bears were weak other mountain lions  attacked the bears for food.  While the other mountain lions kept watch of the cubs. Then in the winter, they would dig and sniff for any sign of the bears. If they sensed something they would dig them up and attack them. The cold would weaken the bears and their weight would slow them down so it was an easy kill for the mountain lions.   The cubs (which were grown up by now) started to make the kill. Then one day a bear found a den. The winter was coming fast and the mountain lions were coming out, so the bear went in the den. The snow covered the den and the bear and her family.  They survived the entire winter.

When the next winter came all the bears went in caves and survived the winter.   Meanwhile the mountain lions couldn’t find food so they traveled up onto a mountain.  On that mountain the population of the mountain goat was expanding rapidly throughout the mountain side. So when the mountain lions got there they brought the population down to the average.    That is why bears live in dens and caves.