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Hibernation. 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 – the so-called overwintering .
Dormancy is a period in an organism 's life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be closely associated with environmental conditions. Organisms can synchronize entry to a dormant phase ...
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]
Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables animals to survive periods of reduced food availability. [ 1] The term "torpor" can refer to the time a hibernator spends at low body temperature, lasting days to weeks, or it can refer to a period ...
While most birds hibernate in a warmer place, those that stick around also survive the cold by gaining as much fat as possible. ... farm animals come with their own winter to-do lists. Many farm ...
This species is nocturnal, with a diet of insects, other small animals, fruits and flowers. [12] The fat-tailed lemur is the only known primate to hibernate for extended periods of time, up to seven months. It performs this torpor during the dry season to minimise the impacts of droughts. During the wet season, it gorges on food, accumulating a ...
Bears of northern regions, including the American black bear and the grizzly bear, hibernate in the winter. [109] [110] During hibernation, the bear's metabolism slows down, its body temperature decreases slightly, and its heart rate slows from a normal value of 55 to just 9 beats per minute. [111] Bears normally do not wake during their ...
In summer, it feeds on plants such as grass, ferns, and leaves; in winter, it eats twigs, the bark from trees, and plants and, similar to the Arctic hare, has been known to occasionally eat dead animals. [3] It can sometimes be seen feeding in small groups. This animal is mainly active at night and does not hibernate. The snowshoe hare may have ...