Long winter’s sleep

Thursday, February 1, 2018

I learned a new word yesterday as I researched animals in that hibernate during the winter. 

Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables animals to survive periods of reduced food availability. 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 of low body temperature and metabolism lasting less than 24 hours, as in "daily torpor.” [Wikipedia] 

We have been seeing a sneaky fox lurking around our house recently and we have wondered if he might be sizing up our little hotdog, Benny. This made me curious about animals that hibernate during the winter. 

Did you know that foxes don’t hibernate?

They go through periods of torpor but they are easily roused so they can go hunt. 

Skunks? The same. 

Chipmunks and tree squirrels? Yep. 

Rabbits? Ditto. 

Bears? They’re only playing possum. They get pretty sleepy in the winter but if you stumble across them and wake them up, they are like me — pretty cranky!

Bats? These creepy flying mammals go into actual hibernation. 

Poowill? Wait, what is a poorwill? It’s a nocturnal bird from the nightjar family (Canada and western US) — and the only bird that goes into true hibernation. 

Wood frogs go into such deep hibernation that their hearts and lungs stop and they might even have ice crystals on their exteriors. But give them a good thaw and they spring right back to life. 

What about groundhogs — aka woodchucks or whistlepigs? Yes. These guys actually hibernate. Their body temperatures and heart rates plummet. But their burrows are very accommodating should they experience torpor and wake up long enough to grab a snack and relieve themselves. 

groundhogdayproject.blogspot.com

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you on hibernation. Sounds like fun to me — and a great way to shed some pounds!