Only one bird species, the common poorwill, is known to be a “true” hibernator.Ĥ. Most large mammals, such as foxes, wolves, dogs, cows, horses, deer, or humans, don’t hibernate at all, and remain active throughout the winter. Other warm-blooded species, including most birds, simply migrate to warmer climates. Some mammals - including raccoons, badgers, and skunks - enter light hibernation-like states involving a combination of denning and mild torpor. Rats and mice, for example, spend more time nestled safely in their burrows (or in your attic). While lots of small mammals don’t hibernate, most do decrease their activity in winter. But the prize for the longest hibernator goes to European edible dormice, which - during a bad year for their food - were found to hibernate for an astonishing 11 months, the longest duration ever measured in the wild.ģ. woodchucks) in hibernation can fall from 99☏ to as low as 33☏, while that of arctic ground squirrels can even drop to sub-freezing levels. No less impressive, the body temperature of groundhogs (a.k.a. Amazingly, hibernating hedgehogs can go two hours without a breath, as their metabolic rate falls to 2% of normal. Both species can go minutes without taking a breath. For example, the heart rate of some bats drops in hibernation from 300 beats per minute to as few as 10, while that of dwarf lemurs can fall to fewer than six. By one estimate, “The average hibernator weighs only 70 grams.”īut while all hibernators undergo substantial changes, some are what you might call elite hibernators. (The science can get very confusing!) In other words, the degree to which different species “hibernate” varies widely.Ģ. Most species known as “true hibernators” are small mammals like ground squirrels, dormice, hedgehogs, groundhogs, chipmunks, and bats. It’s actually a spectrum of distinct adaptations that are generally lumped together, including “true hibernation,” denning, daily torpor, brumation, aestivation, diapause, and more. That’s what “makes it possible for an animal to survive on a fat deposit that would otherwise not last the winter.”īut hibernation is not really one thing. But what is hibernation, exactly? Which animals actually do it? And is there any way humans could hibernate - or at least learn from it? Let’s find out …ġ. Officially, hibernation is “a hypothermic condition when animals save energy during cold seasons by lowering body temperature, metabolism, breathing, and heart rate.” Why would animals do that? Well, mainly to reduce metabolic activity - and thus conserve energy - at the times when food is least available. For those who hate winter, the idea of curling up in a cozy den to sleep for weeks or even months at a time might sound appealing. I recently became obsessed with learning about the science of hibernation, and I thought you all might be interested to learn a bit about it as well. Nature is amazing, and hibernation is one of the most fascinating biological adaptations in all of nature. Having spent several portions of my life in colder climates, I’ve often marveled at the idea that all manner of animals - from bears to groundhogs to box turtles - are nestled snugly somewhere beneath the surface of the earth, sleeping the long winter months away. Like it or not, it’s now winter here in the northern hemisphere.
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