![]() ![]() Some hibernating mammals are pregnant while hibernating, and give birth soon after awakening from sleep. ![]() Some species of insect show periods of inactivity where growth and development are arrested and metabolism is greatly reduced: this state is generally referred to as diapause, although when correlated with the winter months it would also fit the definition True physiological hibernation occurs only in small mammals, such as bats and woodchucks, and a few birds, such as poorwills and nighthawks. In addition, hibernating animals do not show periods of rapid eye movement (REM), the stage of sleep associated with dreaming in humans.īears, which many people think of as the classic hibernating animals, are actually just deep sleepers, and do not significantly lower their metabolism and body temperature. Hibernation differs from sleep in that a hibernating animal shows a drastic reduction in metabolism, or its rate of energy usage, and arouses relatively slowly, while a sleeping animal decreases its metabolism only slightly, and can wake up almost instantly if disturbed. Many animals sleep more often when food is scarce, but only a few truly hibernate. Hibernating animals use 70 to 100 times less energy than when active, allowing them to survive until food is once again plentiful. Hibernation is an important adaptation to harsh climates, because when food is scarce, an animal may use up more energy maintaining its body temperature and in foraging for food than it would receive from consuming the food. A similar state, known as estivation, occurs in some desert animals during the dry months of summer. Hibernation is a state of inactivity, or torpor, in which an animal ’s heart rate, body temperature, and breathing rate are decreased in order to conserve energy through the cold months of winter. The importance of understanding hibernation ![]()
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