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Bats hibernating in a silver mine. 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.
Thermogenesis. v. t. e. An endotherm (from Greek ἔνδον endon "within" and θέρμη thermē "heat") is an organism that maintains its body at a metabolically favorable temperature, largely by the use of heat released by its internal bodily functions instead of relying almost purely on ambient heat. Such internally generated heat is ...
v. t. e. The group that includes mammals and birds, both "warm-blooded" homeothermic animals (in red) is polyphyletic. Homeothermy, homothermy or homoiothermy[1] is thermoregulation that maintains a stable internal body temperature regardless of external influence. This internal body temperature is often, though not necessarily, higher than the ...
Heterothermy or heterothermia (from Greek ἕτερος heteros "other" and θέρμη thermē "heat") is a physiological term for animals that vary between self-regulating their body temperature, and allowing the surrounding environment to affect it. In other words, they exhibit characteristics of both poikilothermy and homeothermy.
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 ...
Circannual cycle. Not to be confused with circadian rhythm. In chronobiology, the circannual cycle is characterized by biological processes and behaviors recurring on an approximate annual basis, spanning a period of about one year. This term is particularly relevant in the analysis of seasonal environmental changes and their influence on the ...
Nocturnality is a behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is " nocturnal ", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed senses of hearing, smell, and specially adapted eyesight. [ 1 ]
Poikilotherm. The common frog is a poikilotherm and is able to function over a wide range of body core temperatures. A poikilotherm (/ ˈpɔɪkələˌθɜːrm, pɔɪˈkɪləˌθɜːrm /) is an animal (Greek poikilos – 'various, spotted', and therme – 'heat) whose internal temperature varies considerably. Poikilotherms have to survive and ...