What is hibernation in animals?

According to the reporter of Moj news agency, during the cold winter months, nothing is more pleasant than a warm bed and a good night’s sleep. But for Animals This matter is a little different and sleeping in a warm and soft place during long and cold nights is not for temporary rest, but it is necessary and important for their survival.

Some animal species develop adaptations that allow them to enter a state called “hibernation” when food is scarce.

For example, hibernating mice go underground in this season, bats begin their hibernation by sheltering in attics or caves, bears go to their dens for hibernation, and in fact all animal species from insects and amphibians to birds. and monkeys to Hibernation They go, which seems to be useful for them.

Long sleep of animals compared to one normal sleep is more different; In a way that causes severe metabolic changes in them and reduces their heart rate, breathing and body temperature.

This sleep varies depending on the species, so that it is possible for animals to survive for days and even weeks without waking up and eating or drinking water.

Hibernating mammals include bats, rodents, bears, and even a special type of Madagascar lemur.

Mammals are warm-blooded animals that produce heat inside their bodies, so they need a constant source of energy to produce their heat. When this source of energy is hard to find, hibernation can help them in difficult situations.

Also, since it is harder for animals to find food in winter, many of them feed themselves in summer and use their fat reserves during hibernation.

A special type of fat called “brown fat” is stored in hibernating mammals.

Bats produce and store this fat on their backs and between their shoulder bones while sleeping. mammals Others have the ability to store brown fat in their stomachs and other parts of their bodies.

In arctic squirrels, this temperature drop sometimes reaches 27°F (minus 3°C).

While the body temperature of polar squirrels decreases more than any other mammal, the changes that occur in their bodies are not different from mammals.

In which areas is hibernation common?

Hibernation is more common in northern hemisphere regions. Most regions in the southern hemisphere are closer to the equator and winters are milder in this hemisphere. However, observations show that some animal species hibernate in warm climates, including the “Siberian dwarf lemur” in Madagascar.

Also, hibernation is not limited to the cold months. According to a study conducted in 2015 on hibernating mice, it shows that these animals continue to hibernate even after the end of the cold season. Some animals hibernate underground for 11 months a year.

Thomas Ruff, of the Univ veterinary medicine Wayne said: Until recently, people thought that hibernation was only for the purpose of conserving energy and defense against cold weather and lack of food, but now it can be stated that this particular behavior is more to deal with predatory animals because the chance of survival during sleep Winter is almost 100%.

However, the human body is found to lack some of these key capabilities. For example, the human heart cannot function when it is too cold. Also, the heart contracts in response to calcium and a stroke occurs due to its accumulation around the heart. But the heart of hibernating animals continues to beat when the body temperature reaches 1 degree Celsius.

Do reptiles also hibernate?

The answer is yes, but their sleep type is different. In such a way that mammals do not show any kind of reaction to their surroundings after sleeping, while if you go to reptiles that have fallen asleep, they will react to you and look at you.

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