As winter settles in, warmth becomes a priority for all living beings. When days grow short and temperatures dip, animals face scarcer food and tougher journeys. Hibernation is a built-in strategy that lets bodies conserve energy. In this state, a creature’s heart rate slows, body temperature drops, and metabolism runs at a fraction of its normal speed, allowing it to ride out the cold until food becomes available again. This is a seasonal gamble that pays off when the world wakes up again.
WARM BLOODED
DID YOU KNOW?
- Bears in hibernation do more than snooze; studies show their brain activity remains active in wakeful patterns, suggesting the mind stays alert to essential cues during the long rest.
- American black bears can endure roughly three months without eating, drinking, moving much, or producing waste, relying mainly on stored fat for energy and staying relatively inactive to minimize energy use.
- Chipmunks store food in expandable cheeks to transport supplies to underground caches, ensuring winter nourishment remains close at hand for the family nest.
- In hibernation, a chipmunk’s heart rate can plummet from about 200 beats per minute to around 5 beats per minute, dramatically slowing the body’s need for oxygen and energy.
- Researchers have noted molecules linked to hibernation in the blood of certain animals. In early experiments, signals from hibernating individuals influenced torpor-like states in others, illustrating how the body’s chemistry guides energy saving.
OTHER WARM-BLOODED HIBERNATORS
– Raccoons
– Skunks
– Hamsters
– Hedgehogs
– Bats
COLD-BLOODED
DID YOU KNOW?
- Cold-blooded animals cannot raise their body heat on their own, so they seek microclimates that stay warmer during late autumn and winter.
- Frogs and turtles often burrow beneath the soil, absorbing oxygen from damp mud while remaining largely inactive.
- Snakes may seek underground hibernation sites or shelter under decaying logs where earth keeps temperatures steady.
- Goldfish in outdoor ponds slow their activity and settle toward the pond bottom in winter, staying clear of the ice at the surface. The main threat is not freezing but the buildup of waste and decaying plants that reduces oxygen.
- Earthworms go deep enough into the soil, sometimes several metres, to reach a narrow band of warmth above freezing. Other tiny animals such as slugs and snails seek shelter under rocks, inside caves, or deep soil to stay warm.
OTHER COLD-BLOODED HIBERNATORS
– Bees
– Frogs and toads
– Lizards
– Snakes