Researchers have discovered seasonal changes in the gut microbes of brown bears, which apparently help the beasts cope with the demands of hibernation.
Bears feast and gain weight in the warm months, ready for the big winter doze.
In faecal samples from 16 wild bears, scientists found a bug population that was more suited to depositing fat in summer, and burning it in winter.
And when transplanted into lab mice, the "summer" bacteria caused greater fat gain than the "winter" ones.
The research is published in the journal Cell Reports.
Senior author Fredrik Bäckhed, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said it was not a huge surprise to see gut flora change with the seasons - but this is the first time anyone has revealed a role for these different bugs in the energy metabolism of a hibernating animal.
"We know that the microbiota is very responsive to what we eat," he told BBC News.=read more=bbc link=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35441712
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