For many years, the arrival of winter represented a challenge for many species. Food shortages coupled with radical temperature changes threatened the survival of animals in cold and temperate climates.
As nature always demonstrates its wisdom, these animals developed an adaptive capacity to preserve the balance of their organism and survive the harshest cold. We call hibernation to this determining faculty for the conservation of various species. To better understand what hibernation is and what animals hibernate, we invite you to continue reading this new text from our site
Hibernation: what it is and how it works
As we said, hibernation consists of an adaptive faculty developed by certain species during their evolution, to survive the cold and climate changes that occur during the winter.
Animals that hibernate experience a period of controlled hypothermia, so their body temperature remains stable and below normal. During the months of hibernation, your body remains in a state of lethargy, radically reducing your energy expenditure, heart rate and breathing.
The adaptation is so impressive that, many times, the animal seems to be dead. His skin is cool to the touch, his digestion virtually stops, physiological needs are momentarily suspended, and his breathing is difficult to perceive. With the arrival of spring, the animal "wakes up", recovers its normal metabolic activity and prepares for the mating period.
How do animals prepare for hibernation?
Logically, hibernation brings with it the inability to search for and consume the nutrients necessary for its survival. Therefore, animals that hibernate must be properly prepared to survive during this period.
A few weeks or days before hibernation begins, these species increase theirdaily food intake. This behavior is essential to create a reserve of fat and nutrients that allow the animal to survive during metabolic reduction.
Also, animals that hibernate often change their fur or set up nestsin which they shelter with insulating materials to help maintain their body temperature. With the arrival of winter, they take shelter and remain immovable in a position that allows them to save body energy.
What animals hibernate?
The hibernation is more common in warm-blooded species, but is also performed by some reptiles, such as crocodiles, some species of lizards and snakes. It was also verified that certain species of earthworms that live underground in colder regions experience a significant reduction in their body temperature and metabolic activities.
Among the animals that hibernate, the following stand out:
- Marmots
- Ground Squirrels
- Dormuses
- Hamsters
- Hedgehogs
- Bats
And don't bears hibernate?
For a long time the belief prevailed that bears hibernated. In fact, even today it is common for these animals to be associated with hibernation in movies, books and other fiction.
However, many specialists claim that bears do not undergo true hibernation like the other animals mentioned. For these large and heavy mammals, this process would require enormous energy expenditure to stabilize their body temperature with the arrival of spring. The metabolic cost would be unsustainable for the animal, putting its survival at risk.
Actually, bears go into a state called "winter sleep" The main difference is that their body temperature drops just a few degrees while they sleep for long periods of time in their caves. The processes are so similar that many scholars refer to winter sleep as a synonym for hibernation, but they are not exactly the same.
Are there other natural techniques for adapting to cold?
Hibernation is not the only adaptive behavior that animals developed to survive climatic variations and food shortages. Some insects, for example, experience a kind of "lethargic season", known as diapause, which prepares them for adverse situations such as lack of food or water.
Many parasites present an inhibition of their larval growth called hypobiosis, which is activated during the coldest seasons or extreme drought. Birds and whales have already developed migratory behaviors that allow them to find food and environments favorable to their survival throughout the year.
