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Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is most commonly used to pass through winter months – called overwintering.
Aestivation (Latin: aestas (summer); also spelled estivation in American English) is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate, that is entered in response to high temperatures and arid conditions. [ 1 ]
Hibernation is a mechanism used by many mammals to reduce energy expenditure and survive food shortages over the winter. Hibernation may be predictive or consequential. An animal prepares for hibernation by building up a thick layer of body fat during late summer and autumn that will provide it with energy during the dormant period.
Hibernation is a handy biological tool. If you can’t snowbird somewhere warmer in the winter, it’s best just to hunker down, conserve energy, and wait for the spring when resources are more ...
During these multi-day torpor bouts, body temperature drops to ~1 °C above ambient temperature and metabolism may drop to about 1% of the normal endothermic metabolic rate. Even in these deep hibernators, the long periods of torpor is interrupted by bouts of endothermic metabolism, called arousals (typically lasting between 4–20 hours).
Winter is finally here, and bears are getting ready to find a den to hibernate in over the next few months. In Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park, one bear was caught prepping for his long sleep ...
Getting a good night's sleep can be a little more challenging amid the hype of the holidays. With changes in routine, diet and potentially time zones, quality sleep could be difficult to come by ...
Slowing metabolic rate to conserve energy in times of insufficient resources is the primarily noted purpose of torpor. [18] This conclusion is largely based on laboratory studies where torpor was observed to follow food deprivation. [19]