The act of an animal retreating into or living in a den; or staying sheltered during bad weather.
From 'den' (Old English 'denn,' possibly from a root meaning to press down or go down), combined with '-ing' (verb suffix). The practice has ancient roots in describing animal behavior.
Denning isn't just about hiding—bears gain amazing abilities when denning, like hibernating without eating for months while their heart rate drops to 8 beats per minute, basically putting themselves in a biological pause button!
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