When the weather is cold and food is scarce, animals become inactive to save energy. Why this pause? Scientists do not know why they wake up periodically but suspect that they may need to warm up to replenish or remove substances that have been depleted or accumulated during hibernation. These squirrels survive in a catatonic state by reducing their metabolism and core body temperature to approximately -2.7 ° C, the lowest known body temperature for a hibernating mammal.Īrctic ground squirrels can hibernate for up to eight months, but increase their metabolic rates and body temperature for periods of 12 to 14 hours every 20 days or so. For hibernation, Arctic ground squirrels burrow up to three feet above the ground with an insulating layer of snow on top. Perhaps the most amazing species that falls into a deep sleep when temperatures drop too low is the Arctic ground squirrel. So, for example, black and brown bears are just two of seven mammals that huddle in burrows or sleep during Alaska’s cold, dark season, but bears are not the only animals that hibernate in winter. And it is that, in common ideology, most people immediately think of bears. Surely the first that comes to mind is the bear. Which animals spend the winter hibernating? And if a hibernating creature wakes up too early, it can burn off its fat stores too quickly and die. Hibernating carries risks, because if an animal cannot store enough fat or cannot find enough food after waking up, it may not survive. Hibernating animals enter a state of inactivity by slowing down their heart rate and respiration and lowering their body temperature and metabolism.Īll of this means that they can survive long periods without eating, but they need to get up from time to time to find food and relieve themselves. Many of us imagine hibernation with the image of animals huddled in a dark, quiet, and cozy place and sleeping peacefully for a few months until spring returns. In cold weather, various species of animals fall into a night of long winter sleep.
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