6 sentences about an animal which hibernation
Answers
If you saw a frozen frog that had ice crystals on it, that wasn't breathing and didn't have a heartbeat, you would probably think it was dead. If it was a wood frog, it would most likely be in hibernation.
Wood frogs hibernate inside logs or burrows or under rocks or leaf piles. During the cold of winter, when in hibernation, they actually stop breathing, their heart stops and ice crystals form in their blood. When the weather warms, they defrost, and their lungs and heart go back into action. Pretty amazing!
wood frog on rocky terrain with small plants surrounding it
Wood frog (Michael Zahniser / Wikimedia commons)
Deer mouse chewing on cactus fruit
Deer mouse (NPS photo by Sally King)
9. Deer Mice
Deer mice have short lives and short torpor (light hibernation) periods. During cold weather, they torpor from morning to late afternoon bundled up with their buddies and then spend the night searching for food. Between their daily torpor and the shared heat from snuggling up together, deer mice are able to save valuable amounts of energy.
Did You Know?
The deer mouse occurs in a very wide range of habitat types. This species occurs in deserts, prairies, and forests, but not in wetlands. The deer mouse is quite tolerant of certain types of disturbance, and its populations are little affected by light wildfires or the harvesting of trees from its habitat.
8. Common Poorwills
Common poorwills are the only species of bird that go into true hibernation. A handful of other bird species go into torpor (light hibernation). Common poorwills hibernate when the temperatures get really cold, really hot or when food is scare. When necessary, they can even hibernate while incubating their eggs. That's one way to pass the time, while waiting for the chicks to hatch!
common poorwill
Common Poorwill (Louis Agassiz Fuertes)
Ground squirrel in tall grass
Ground squirrel (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
7. Ground Squirrels
Most types of ground squirrels hibernate and some do so for nine months a year. They also torpor (light hibernation) during other times of the year for a few days at a time. Ground squirrels have great hibernation spaces. They dig elaborate underground tunnels with different rooms for food storage, sleep and elimination (yes, they have bathrooms).
Did You Know?
Ground squirrels go into hibernation as a response to a change in their blood. Scientists have been able to get an active ground squirrel to go into hibernation by injecting it with blood from a hibernating squirrel.
6. Skunks
During the cold winter months, skunks get comfy in their dens and torpor (light hibernation) in the company of their close family. During their few month torpor, they occasionally wake up and come out to scrounge up something to eat.
Striped skunk in front of rotted out log
Striped skunk (Wikimedia Commons)
syrian hamster eating grass
Syrian hamster filling his cheek pouches (Peter Maas / Wikimedia Commons)
5. Hamsters
Many a loving pet owner have cried out in dismay when they found their hamsters dead, only to learn they were actually in torpor (a light hibernation). Once those hamsters were rustled about, they probably awoke pretty grouchy and scared. Hamsters hate being awoken from this state. In addition, the sudden disturbance can cause a heart attack, literally scaring them to death.
Did You Know?
Hamsters torpor for a few days to a week at one time when the weather is cold. They will only torpor if there is plenty of food nearby so they can snack during brief waking bouts.
4. Prairie Dogs
Prairie dogs aren't really dogs; they're actually rodents, but they do bark kind of like dogs. They also are really good at surviving cold weather. Depending on the species of prairie dog and the area it lives in, it either hibernates or goes into torpor. White-tailed prairie dogs hibernate through the winter. Black-tailed prairie dogs go into torpor for a few days at a time, and only hibernate on rare occasions during extreme cold weather conditions.
Prairie dogs in hole in field
Prairie dogs (Wikimedia Com