25 September β 13 December
the coastal calendar, shifted 24 days later for this region
Gorski kotar and the Velebit beech forest; beech mast years fill the autumn.
Implantation is delayed: mating happens in May and June but the embryo does not attach until the female enters the den, and only if she is fat enough. A poor autumn cancels the litter months before it would have been born.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| hibernating | 14 December β 7 April | 115 days | True hibernation: body temperature drops and the animal cannot simply wake. Cubs are born inside the winter den, to a mother who is asleep and not feeding. |
| going about the year | 8 April β 7 June | 61 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |
| courting | 8 June β 24 July | 47 days | Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β pairs forming or reaffirming. |
| raising young | 25 July β 24 September | 62 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| young dispersing | 25 September β 13 December | 80 days | Young leaving for good, looking for a territory of their own. |