Animals That Hibernate During Winter
The arctic ground squirrel weathers punishing winter cold in its northern alaska habitat by hibernating underground for about seven months each year.
Animals that hibernate during winter. However, plants aren’t the only part of nature that resumes life in the springtime. These include turtles, frogs, salamanders and snakes. Bats hide away in caves, old mine shafts, cavities of trees, or attics during winter.
There are lots of different animals that hibernate in winter! Many different kinds of animals hibernate, from mammals and reptiles to amphibians and even some insects. During hibernation, hedgehogs can drop their heart rate by up to 90% but may wake up briefly if it gets too cold.
During hibernation, prairie dogs live off the stored fat within their bodies. You’ll probably have noticed a lack of frog, toad and newt activity in autumn and early winter, and they do in fact become dormant during these months for survival. Some animals can slow their heartbeat and breathing rate down, they also lower their body temperature, and enter a state of 'torpor' (state of physical and mental inactivity).
Bats that live in regions where insects are scarce during the winter months are forced to hibernate in order to survive the season. Animals such as skunks, raccoons and some chipmunks are the light sleepers, easily awakened. Which they lack during winter due to a reduction in food.
During their hibernation, the woodchuck's heart goes from 80 beats per minute to only four or five. Species such as the big brown bat can hibernate for long periods ranging from sixty to eighty days. Most insects, reptiles, and rodents prepare for their winter sleep as their bodies are not made to endure the harsh coldness of the wild weather.
Because of the reversal in seasons in either side of the equator, the southern and northern hemisphere population whales do not converge at a specific point. For that reason, these animals can become a nuisance even in winter. Several mammals hibernate during the long, cold winters.