What animals hibernate in North America?

When an animal hibernates, it goes into a state of sleep or minimal activity. During this period, his metabolism slows down and he relies on the body’s energy stores and possibly hidden food. Hibernation allows many animals to survive dark and cold winters without the need to migrate elsewhere or seek food under threat of predation, injury, or death. Winter climates in North America range from cold and humid to snowy and windy.

The most popular depictions of hibernating animals are bears, gophers, and chipmunks. However, there are many other animals that hibernate. Read on to find out more about the animals that hibernate in North America and how they do it.

Hibernation versus summer hibernation

Hibernation is a particularly popular survival tactic for animals that live in areas of North America with the harshest winters, so we usually think of animals hibernating in the winter. But believe it or not, some animals hibernate in the summer. Summer hibernation is called waking up or resting.

Hibernation against numbness

Sometimes there is a difference between hibernation and numbness, although they are often used interchangeably. Hibernation includes deep sleep in which the animal does not wake up under any circumstances. On the other hand, numbness is inaction and deep sleep when an animal wakes up due to anxiety. In addition, many hibernating mammals have to wake up from time to time to eat, urinate and defecate, and it becomes difficult to distinguish between the two. For this reason, some animals are considered “real hibernators” to distinguish between those that appear dead (but still wake up periodically to meet basic needs) and those that do not.

Hibernation types

Hibernation has become a universal term for any state of inactivity during certain seasons, but there are specific terms depending on the type of animal hibernation. Hibernation refers mainly to warm-blooded animals, brumation refers to cold-blooded animals hibernating, and estivation refers to cold-blooded animals hibernating in summer.

Mammal: Bat

Many mammals hibernate, including marmots and hedgehogs. But the bat is a North American mammal that we don’t think we are hibernating. They cook from late summer to autumn and eat a lot to keep fat reserves. Some bats choose to migrate to warmer areas, but most bats in the northernmost and middle latitudes hibernate. However, even before they hibernate, many species are forced to migrate to hibernation sites in the northern United States and Canada. They can do this as early as September, hibernating with tens of thousands of other bats in caves with temperatures ranging from 32 to 49 F.

Compared to bears and other animals, bats are one of the few true sleepers. The breathing of a dormant bat is imperceptible, and its body is cold to the touch, and its body temperature drops to a few tenths of a cave degree. His heart rate drops from 400 beats per minute while awake to 25 beats per minute while hibernating. Even so, bats must wake up from time to time to urinate, drink, or move to a cooler or warmer place in the cave. They drink from condensation on fur or cave walls.

Crustaceans: Hermit Crab

Molluscs and hermit crabs are examples of hibernating crustaceans. The hermit crab is a popular pet in North America. Although it lives in a tropical climate with humid hinterland in the wild, it hibernates when temperatures drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, but it cannot go below 62 degrees Fahrenheit or else it will die. At this time, he hides in caves or in the roots of trees.

As a pet, it burrows into the substrate of the cell and often hibernates during molting. It hibernates at temperatures between 50 and 65 degrees for a long time and may die if the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Hibernation can last for weeks or even months. Hermit crabs still occasionally eat and drink water during hibernation.

Amphibian: Salamander

Amphibians kept indoors because pets do not need to hibernate, but some species must be dormant before reproducing. They hibernate when they need to survive frost and flood, and the salamander is no exception. To survive the winter frosts, this adaptable creature has learned to live in areas where the lower layers of the soil are permanently frozen, also known as permafrost.

Young salamanders hibernate in vegetation or rotten tree roots at temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and adult salamanders up to 22 degrees Fahrenheit. As you might have guessed, the salamander is completely frozen during hibernation. It surpasses even a frog, which can survive with up to 65 percent of the water frozen in its body.

Reptile: Crocodile

All reptiles hibernate. However, hibernation for reptiles is called brumation. The difference is that reptiles still drink water, even though they don’t eat, and cook by storing fat and sugar. They also don’t need as much air.

The crocodile enters a state of fierceness to avoid drought in the summer, while it lives in tropical areas. He settles in a hole he digs on the shore of a lake or river, and falls into a deep sleep, quickly reversing it as soon as it rains. Like other reptiles, it hibernates at lower temperatures due to its cold bloodedness.

Worm: earthworm

The earthworm lives off the moisture in the soil. He is also cold-blooded and therefore cannot regulate his body temperature. When the soil becomes too dry in summer or winter, it enters a state called diapause in order to survive. It does this by wrapping its body in a tight knot to minimize the amount of body surface exposed to dry soil, as well as secreting a layer of mucus to protect itself from drying out. It then returns to normal activities when the temperature improves.

Fish: two-legged fish

Breathing fish come into life when their habitat becomes too hot and dry. During this time, it will enter the wet water beds and excrete a layer of mucus, remaining in a state of numbness for up to four years. It is carnivorous, but stops eating during stimulation.

Gastropods: snail

The snail is another cold-blooded animal, so it cannot control its body temperature. When the climate drops below 12-15 degrees Fahrenheit, which can happen anywhere from mid-October to early November, it hibernates. He goes into a state of suspended animation, or suspended animation, for a period of four to six months. As an example of how a snail can cook, the grape snail collects and stores limestone in the summer. When it is ready to hibernate, it buries itself in the ground and seals its shell with a piece of limestone.

Bird: Poor thing

It is true that almost all birds have adapted methods of coping with winter other than hibernation, such as migration. There is one species that breaks this rule, and that is Poor. Instead of migrating to warmer areas, it falls into a state of numbness in winter, when there are fewer flying insects that it feeds on. It first cooks by eating far more insects than usual before winter comes. Hibernation can last from several weeks to several months, while it hides in a patch of grass or in a hollow. His breathing drops to 90%, or 10 beats per minute, and his body temperature drops to 40-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Compare this to his normal state, where his heart rate is 130 beats per minute and his body temperature is 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hibernation is a seasonal survival method for many animals in North America. Before hibernating, they cook by eating a lot or storing up food and cooking their homes. This gives them shelter and saves energy. Those who hibernate often hibernate in the winter, but some species hibernate in the summer.

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