Critter Magazine - February, 2018

5 Fascinating Facts About
Hibernating Animals
By Catherine Gill
Most people do not give much thought to the changing
of seasons. Sometimes we shift our wardrobes to include
seasonal clothing that is appropriate for the weather.
Other times we may alter our eating habits to include
holiday foods. Annual cold-weather related disorders are
even known to plague us. However, it’s rare that our entire
lives are uprooted and modified for the winter.
But animals that hibernate do exactly that. Their
whole way of life is transformed into something completely
new. Whether it be a creature that can stop breathing
altogether and instead absorb oxygen in a novel way,
or a critter that “hibernates” in a lighter sub-style of the
process, the concept of hibernation is simply fascinating.
While there are more than enough extraordinary
facts about animals who hibernate to produce extensive
literature on the topic, here are just five remarkable facts
that will blow your mind.
1. Some hibernating animals can stop breathing
and be perfectly fine.
Water reptiles and amphibians can do some extreme
things in order to hibernate. For instance, frogs like
the hibernating bullfrog breathe air in the summer, but
when winter arrives, their bodies slow down and they
can absorb oxygen through their skin without actually
breathing. In fact, most of a pond’s reptiles and
amphibians are able to absorb the oxygen that they need
through their skin; some turtles do this as well.
2. Some animals have adapted their hibernation
style to suit their survival needs.
Animals such as bears can go into an alternate, light
hibernation state called a torpor. Torpor is like hibernation,
but in this condition, the bear can be awakened easily.
Unlike the deeper sleep during hibernation, animals
who are in a torpor can be more aware of threats,
making them superior survivors. Ground squirrels are also
among animals who torpor, however they shift between
hibernation, torpor and being awake.
3. Animal companions can lightly hibernate — and
have even been mistaken for dead.
Hamsters are also animals who torpor. Hamster
I AM NOT YOUR
ENTERTAINMENT.
parents have mistaken their beloved pals to be deceased,
only to witness their little balls of fur “come alive” again.
The reason that hamsters go into light hibernation is due
to the fact that there is a food and water source close by
and readily available to them; they just wake up to dine,
then resume their torpor. Sadly, hibernating hamsters can
become tremendously startled if purposefully awoken from
torpor, and some have even died of heart attacks.
Hedgehog hibernating
4. An animal’s body can wake them for protection.
Interestingly, the hedgehog whose heart rate drops
by approximately 90 percent, can get too cold. If a
hedgehog’s body temperature decreases to an unhealthy
measure, it will wake up just enough so that the
waking heart rate naturally warms it just right, then
hibernation recommences. Hedgehogs also go into
estivation during intensely warm weather, which is a
hibernation that allows the animal to cool down before
resuming normal activities.
5. Some animals treat hibernation like nature’s
pause button.
The common poorwill is the only bird that goes into true
hibernation. It hibernates during extreme temperatures —
when it is either too hot or too cold — and at times
of food scarcity. As a built-in survival technique, the
animal can take a hiatus and increase its chances of
survival. The common poorwill can even hibernate while
incubating its eggs, proving to be not only a true survivor,
but also a riveting multitasking animal.
Looks like nature has a pretty good handle on winter!
An average of 24 horses suffer fatal breakdowns at
tracks across the country every week, due in part,
according to a 2012 New York Times investigation,
to the misuse of drugs that keep injured horses
running, and 10,000 broken-down thoroughbreds
are sent to slaughter every year.
PAGE 16 • CRITTER MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2017
PAGE 20 • CRITTER MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2018