Back in elementary school, one of the world’s greatest mysteries to me was hibernation. As a child, I simply couldn’t understand how and why some animals go to sleep for the entire winter and then wake up perfectly fine in the spring.
How can they sleep so long?
Don’t they get hungry?
I could never miss Christmas!!!
These thoughts constantly roamed my young mind. Now, older (but none the wiser), some things are much clearer – yet the childlike fascination with hibernation remains strong.
In this article, we’ll dive back into “school” and explore everything there is to know about hibernation – and maybe learn a bit more than we bargained for!
1. What Exactly Is Hibernation?
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to hibernate means “to pass the winter in a torpid or resting state.”
For many animals, hibernation is an inactive state similar to what we understand as deep sleep. It’s a way to survive cold winter months without needing to migrate to warmer areas or search for food.
2. How Long Does Hibernation Last?
The duration of hibernation varies widely and is influenced by many factors including the species, time of year, ambient temperatures, and the animal’s physical condition.
To prepare for this dormant period, each animal must accumulate sufficient energy reserves to potentially last through the entire winter.
Therefore, hibernation typically lasts anywhere from 4 to 7 months.
3. Do They Really Sleep The Whole Time?
While most of us think of hibernation as one long beauty sleep, that’s actually far from the truth.
For animals, hibernation is more accurately a state of deep rest, not just one extended nap. During this period, they conserve their stored energy, causing their entire body to enter a ‘pause’ mode.
Everything from their heart rate and breathing to metabolism and physical activity significantly slows down.
Although some animals may wake during hibernation for water, a snack, or adjust to environmental changes, they generally remain in a low-energy state.
4. How Do Animals Prepare For Hibernation?
Most animals, especially mammals, increase their food intake in the weeks leading up to hibernation.
This excess food is stored as fat, which becomes their main energy source during the months of rest when they are not actively eating.
Once their bodies are ready, they also prepare their hibernation spaces. Bears, for instance, dig out dens, while smaller animals like chipmunks burrow and line their nests with insulating materials like leaves to stay warm and cozy.
5. Does Climate Change Affect Hibernation?
Unfortunately, yes! Climate change disrupts seasonal cycles by either shortening or lengthening them.
This can confuse animals’ internal clocks, causing them to wake up too early or start hibernation too late.
Such disruptions pose survival challenges and can be dangerous, especially if an animal cannot adapt quickly enough.
6. Which Animals Hibernate?
When we think of hibernation, many of us picture a giant bear, safely tucked away in its den. Typically, hibernating animals include various mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Among them are bats, squirrels, hedgehogs, groundhogs, certain frogs, and some turtles.
While birds generally migrate to warmer climates, some, like the Common Poorwill native to North America, enter a state similar to hibernation known as torpor during the winter.
7. Heard Of Aestivation? (It’s Like Hibernation – With A Twist!)
Aestivation is similar to hibernation but occurs in animals living in hotter climates who need to survive extreme heat and droughts.
Animals that aestivate include a variety of terrestrial and aquatic species, such as earthworms, snails, lungfish, amphibians, and reptiles like Glossy snakes and Nile crocodiles.