![]() ![]() If for some bizarre reason you were to send a European hedgehog to Aruba for a winter vacation, it would go narcoleptic at the same time as its mates back in the Scottish Highlands fell asleep. But some animals, known as obligate hibernators, doze off according to their Google calendars. Most hibernators tailor their schedules based on the weather: if it’s a mild autumn, black bears and chipmunks will den-up later than usual. Some frogs, turtles, and fish can overwinter in mud that is devoid of oxygen, and as far as we know, they’re no worse for the wear come spring. With ectotherms, one might say hibernation just happens it’s not something that they “do.” Even though they don’t have to work hard at sleeping the way mammals do, their torpor is impressive in its own way. Although it’s the same as hibernation, biologists call it brumation. I’d say actively lowering one’s metabolism sounds like an oxymoron, but I’ll refrain from name-calling.Ĭold-blooded animals (ectotherms) like frogs and snakes also become dormant in winter. These days, hibernation applies to any animal having the means to actively lower their metabolism and body temperature. But eventually, that club was deemed too restrictive. The label was once used only for species which entered profound dormancy, for example certain Arctic rodents whose internal temperatures fall below freezing in their winter dens. However, biologists are still debating what exactly counts as hibernation. Given that this describes me and a lot of my northern friends from January through March, hibernation must involve other factors as well. Ironically, actual sloths do not hibernate.īroadly defined, hibernation is a state of inactivity and lowered metabolism in warm-blooded animals (endotherms) during winter. The survival of bats, woodchucks, ground squirrels, and other animals is contingent on long bouts of sloth. Many critters would die if they couldn’t sleep for half their lives, a fact which I tried in vain to conceal from my teenage kids. ![]() I was raised in a tradition that warned against the “Seven Deadly Sins.” I can’t endorse envy, greed, wrath, or gluttony, but sloth can be a virtue.
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