Transcript What Animals Hibernate During the Winter?

What Animals
Hibernate During
the Winter?
What is True Hibernation?
• Hibernation is different from sleep. With normal sleep,
the animal moves a little, has an active brain, and can
wake up very quickly. There are different kinds of
hibernation. A "True" hibernator appears to be dead
because the animal's heart rate slows down and the body
temperature drops to almost the same temperature as the
outside The animal's breathing also slows down. It takes a
long time for the animal to wake up and to move about.
Some animals (like bears) are not true hibernators.
• In the late summer and fall, before going into hibernation,
animals eat a lot of food. Their bodies are able to live off
the stored body fat. They look for a safe place to spend the
winter. (caves, dens, burrows)
• Some hibernating animals wake up and move around,
have a snack and then go back into hibernation again.
Ground Squirrel (Gopher)
• SHELTER - They dig a burrow with
many tunnels, openings, and different
rooms ( called chambers ). If a
predator ( enemy ) comes in one hole,
they can escape out another hole.
FOOD - The Richardson's Ground
Squirrels store some food During
hibernation, they wake up every 10 to
14 days and have a snack.
A Squirrel Hibernating in a
Tree.
Bats
• Some BATS are hibernators. In the fall
large flocks of Big Brown Bats find
shelter for the winter. The bats hang
upside down and pull their wings and
tails close to their bodies to keep
warm. Their body temperature drops
and they seem to be dead. Bats
hibernate from October to April,
waking up once a month. Bats likes
warm buildings to hibernate in and are
able squeeze through a hole the size of
a thumb.
Bats Hibernating
in
a Cave.
Frogs
• FROGS hibernate at the bottom of
streams and ponds where the water
does not freeze. Woodland frogs
find shelter by digging a burrow.
During the winter they freeze but
thaw out and wake up in the spring.
Frogs Burrowing into the
Ground
Snakes
• SNAKES travel to one spot where
hundreds of them can hibernate
together so they can stay warm.
Snake dens can be found in rocks,
burrows, or old wells and
basements.
Snakes Can Hibernate in
Groups Inside a Pit.
Ladybugs
• LADYBUGS spend the winter in a
state of sleep known as diapause.
They fatten up for the winter by
eating plenty of aphids and pollen.
Then they hide in buildings or under
logs, rocks or piles of leaves. Many
other insects also fall into a deep
sleep and wait for warmer weather
to arrive.
Ladybugs in Hibernation