![]() ![]() They actually hibernate in groups, to keep their body temperatures up. It will hibernate between October and March or April, though it can be seen basking on rocks on warmer winter days. The garter snake is another cold-blooded animal that snoozes away the winter. Garter Snakes PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK / DEJAVUDESIGNS Their liver produces large amounts of glucose as they hibernate, which increases blood-sugar levels and limits the formation of ice crystals. For terrestrial frogs, the choice typically falls on soil beneath the frost line or in cracks or crevices in logs and rocks. The colder the water, the higher the oxygen level. For aquatic frogs, this period is passed underwater, where they breathe in bits of oxygen through their skin. Frogs PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK / MARCFOTODESIGNįrogs are cold-blooded, meaning they can’t produce body heat with their metabolism, so it’s off to hibernation they go in the winter. Much like bears, the lemurs prepare for hibernation by gorging on food, which stores fat in their tails and helps sustain them over the long inactive months. These active stretches occur every six to 12 days and involve an increase in body temperature and heart rate, as well as a stabilization of breathing. During this time, they go back and forth between torpor, with its lowered heart rate and body temperature, and more active periods called interbout arousals. You can see one preparing for its deep sleep at the Duke Lemur Center above. The fat-tailed dwarf lemur, native to Madagascar, can hibernate for up to seven months. Fat-Tailed Dwarf LemurĪ post shared by Duke Lemur Center may wish we could sleep through the winter months, too, and while we can’t, there is one primate that can. Every few days, though, they wake up, their body temperature stabilizes, and they eat and relieve the call of nature. Their body temperature can also lower to the temperature inside. Most of this time is spent in a deep sleep, in which their heart rate drops from around 350 beats per minute down to about 4. During the cold months, chipmunks hole up in their burrows with stored food. While Alvin and the Chipmunks may sing their hearts out during the holiday season, their wild brethren are taking it much easier. The bees hibernate by digging into well-drained soil just beneath the ground’s surface. After emerging in the spring, queens will begin laying eggs, starting another life cycle for the next generation. Of course, the only members of a colony that live that whole year are queens, who mate before hibernating up to nine months. Bumblebees PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK / WIRESTOCKīumblebees, an important pollinator that helps produce many of our favorite fruits and veggies, have a year-long life cycle. They’ll wile the winter away like this, burrowed in places like stream bottoms, stump holes, or animal burrows. This involves inactivity, torpor, and a slowed metabolism. ![]() During this time, they enter into something called brumation. Turtles are known for slowing it down, and that’s just what eastern box turtles do in the winter time. Box Turtles PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK / LISA BASILE ELLWOOD While they hibernate, they can lose around 30% of their body weight, but they often gain something better – cubs – in those long winter months. To prepare for this long stretch of inactivity, they can eat up to 20,000 calories a day, which can lead to daily weight gain of three pounds. ![]() For Yellowstone area bears, it’s more like four or five months. The time frame varies, with bears in northern Alaska hiding away in their dens for up to seven months. ![]() While not all bears hibernate, the majority do. When we think of hibernating animals, the bear is typically the first that comes to mind. This has led to some species being listed as endangered. Unfortunately, hibernating bats have been heavily impacted by a disease known as white-nose syndrome, which has been decimating populations across the country. During this state, bats will seek out shelter in spots like caves, mine shafts, and attics. Their body temperature can also dip to near freezing. This is when a bat’s body’s metabolic, heart, and respiratory rates plummet to allow them to survive long periods without food. While some species migrate to warmer climates during the winter, many enter a state known as torpor. Bats PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK / MARTINīats, nature’s only free flying mammal, are not winging it when it comes to colder weather. Here are some of the animals that steer clear of winter altogether by hibernating. There are plenty of animals that take the next step, by being practically immobile the entire season. As cold weather sneaks in over the winter, many of us remain indoors as much as possible until it warms up a bit. ![]()
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