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As hibernation is a seasonal response, the movement of the ancestor of birds and mammals onto land introduced them to seasonal pressures that would eventually become hibernation. [45] This is true for all clades of animals that undergo winter dormancy; the more prominent the seasons are, the longer the dormant period tends to be on average.
Marmots typically live in burrows (often within rockpiles, particularly in the case of the yellow-bellied marmot), and hibernate there through the winter. Most marmots are highly social and use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed.
Mammals with a darker coloured coat can absorb more heat from solar radiation, and stay warmer, and some smaller mammals, such as voles, have darker fur in the winter. The white, pigmentless fur of arctic mammals, such as the polar bear, may reflect more solar radiation directly onto the skin.
These rodents use torpor as means to survive winter and live to reproduce in the next reproduction cycle when food sources are plentiful, separating periods of torpor from the reproduction period. The eastern long-eared bat uses torpor during winter and is able to arouse and forage during warm periods. [ 25 ]
In winter, aquatic foods predominate, while land-based prey increases in importance during the spring. Within the Altai Mountains , the American mink feeds predominantly on mammals such as rodents, shrews, and moles, as well as birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
Crepuscular, a classification of animals that are active primarily during twilight, making them similar to nocturnal animals.; Diurnality, plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.
However, this feeding style is believed to be an adaptation to food scarcity, especially in winter. [48] The wolverine is also a powerful and versatile predator. Its prey mainly consists of small to medium-sized mammals, but wolverines have been recorded killing prey many times larger than itself, such as adult deer.
This is a list of North American mammals. It includes all mammals currently found in the United States , St. Pierre and Miquelon , Canada , Greenland , Bermuda , Mexico , Central America , and the Caribbean region, whether resident or as migrants .