You may have heard of animals hibernating for the winter, but what does it mean? Well, during the colder months, it can be tougher for animals to find food and water. Therefore, they have developed a special skill to “shut down” their bodies for long periods of time in order to conserve energy and be able to go without food. This process is called hibernation.
It is particularly common in small mammals like mice, hedgehogs and bats.
Larger animals don’t tend to hibernate, with the exception of brown bears.
Some insects and reptiles, like butterflies, snails, tortoises, and snakes, also hibernate.
How do animals hibernate?
Hibernation is not animals going to sleep for weeks at a time, but they do find a safe place to get cosy for the winter. Hibernating animals are able to decrease their heart rate and slow their breathing whilst also reducing their body temperature. This helps them use considerably less energy, and they therefore don’t need to eat to keep them alive.
Some dormice can hibernate for up to 11 months, but most get up occasionally to look for food, have a drink of water, or get rid of bodily waste!
In order to get themselves ready for weeks of very little food and drink, some animals gorge on food, even doubling their body weight in the build up to winter. This gives them plenty of reserves for the weeks ahead.
Squirrels don’t hibernate, as they are not able to store the fat on their bodies for long enough. Therefore, they spend the late summer and autumn months stashing food away in hiding places. They then return to those secret stores during the winter. They do, however, sleep more in colder temperatures in order to conserve their energy.
Can humans hibernate?
The short answer is no.
As lovely as it would be to get in bed and wait for the cold season to pass, we humans don’t need to hibernate because of our size and access to regular warmth and food. Our ancestors discovered fire, clothes, shelter, hunting, and growing food. These are all more effective ways of surviving winters!
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All the best Jan
