![]() You may notice from season to season that the animals you see in nature seemingly vanish in winter, but they may not all be hibernating. All of our bat species, hedgehogs and the dormouse retreat to their cosy boltholes from around October/November until March/April the following year.ĭo hibernating animals stay ‘asleep’ all winter? Only three British mammal groups truly hibernate. None of our wetland bird species hibernate, and have instead developed adaptations to deal with the cold – such as migration. Reptiles and amphibians are cold blooded, and so if they remained active would not be able to perform their bodily functions. ![]() We describe this state as 'hibernation' rather than 'sleep' because the brain cycles that the animal goes through are so drastically different from sleep patterns - it’s more of an extreme slowing down. The difference between hibernation and torpor is that hibernation appears to be a voluntary state, whereas torpor is usually for a shorter time period and appears involuntary. Once they’re ready to hibernate, they instinctively start slowing their metabolism down to use as little energy as possible their heart rate drops, as does their breathing, and they enter a state of deep hibernation or ‘torpor’ - where the metabolism slows down to less than 5% of their normal rate. To do this, they first need to ensure that they fatten up during summer to provide a source of essential energy. Various animals living in or near wetlands hibernate to conserve energy through the winter, when their natural food sources become scarce or impossible to find. For some, hibernation is the only way to get through until spring. ![]() Most of us tend to slow down in winter, as the cold weather and icy frost creeps into our bones, but some clever species avoid it all together by spending the darker months in a process known as hibernation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |