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#Post#: 379--------------------------------------------------
Hibernation
By: AGelbert Date: November 17, 2013, 10:39 pm
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10 Weird Facts About Hibernating Animals
Cherise Udell
November 14, 2013
Everyone knows bears and hedgehogs hibernate, but did you know
that snakes, snails, frogs, turtles, bats, bees and a menagerie
of other animals also find that hunkering down through the
winter is a lot easier than migrating thousands of miles to some
place warmer. Here are a few other facts about hibernation that
may inspire you to grab a cozy comforter and at least huddle
near your fireplace with a cup of hot coco. Too bad for you
though, unlike the bear and the hedgie, you will have to get up
tomorrow morning and face the day, no matter how cold!
1. Some hibernating animals will wake up for short spurts during
the winter months to eat and relieve themselves. Other animals
sleep through the entire winter without doing either.
2. European hedgehogs are deep winter sleepers and usually go
through the entire winter without waking. By all outward
appearances you would think a hibernating hedgie was dead —
their feet, ears, and skin are all cold to the touch and their
breathing is almost undetectable. Normally, a hedgehog’s heart
races at a frantic 190 beats per minute, but during hibernation
it slows to about 20 beats per minute. When outdoor winter
temperatures fluctuate, a hedgehog’s heart will just beat a
little faster to generate more internal heat or slow down to
save energy. Outwardly, the hedgehog will feel cold, but inside
it’s heart is toasty warm.
3. In preparation for winter’s deep sleep, a black bear can gain
up to 30 pounds a week. I’m sure many humans are glad they don’t
do that!
4. Animals in hibernation do have internal controls that prevent
their core body temperature from falling dangerously low. The
animal will awake if their internal alarm goes off warning that
their temperature is too close to freezing. That must be a rude
awakening, indeed.
5. Snails are built for self-contained hibernating. They burrow
underground and withdraw into their shell. But before falling
into a deep winter sleep, they seal their door with a chalky,
slimy excretion that hardens and locks in essential moisture. A
small air hole allows oxygen to enter, but still keeps predators
out. In this hibernation mode, they use almost no energy and
require no food to live. Some snails use this same technique to
survive extended drought periods.
6. Different bee species have different mechanisms for surviving
through harsh winters. Honeybees will stop flying when
temperatures dip below 50 degrees F. They instead huddle
together in the center of the hive making what is known as a
winter cluster. The queen bee is at the center, while all of the
sister bees rotate through the cluster so that no bee gets too
cold for too long. The cluster center will be about 80 degrees
and the outer edges will be between 46 and 48 degrees. The
colder the weather the tighter the cluster. During this time,
the bees also consume the honey stored in the hive which helps
them produce essential body heat. On warmer days, bees will
sometimes venture out to eliminate bodily waste, but they do not
venture far (if temperatures dip quickly they may be fatally
prevented from returning to the warmth of the hive).
7. Garter snakes like to hibernate together. In Canada, where
winters get exceptionally cold, it is not uncommon to find
hundreds and even thousands of garter snakes cozying up together
for warmth. Although, I imagine feeling cozy is not easy when
you are a cold-blooded animal. When spring arrives and the snow
melts, all the snakes leave the hibernating den together, each
seeking their own rock to finally bask in the sun’s returned
warmth and glory.
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSF9xs8m5c0&feature=player_embedded<br
/>
8. Big brown bats can make it through the winter without eating,
but they do need to wake up to drink. Their heart rate drops
from the normal 1000 beats per minute to 25 beats per minute and
they will take only one breath about every two hours.
9. There is only one known bird species that hibernates – the
Common Poorwill. This little brown speckled bird finds a
sheltered area and hunkers down for up to five months. It can
stay solidly asleep for up to 100 days, but once it awakens it
needs about seven hours to regain its normal body temperature.
10. The four bear species that hibernate (Brown, Asiatic, Polar
and American Black bear) do not hibernate as deeply as other
animals, such as the hedgehog, as their temperature only drops a
little and they can fully wake up very quickly. Furthermore,
mother bears actually work hard during hibernation as this is
when she gives birth to her cubs and raises them for the first
few months of their lives.
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpY4frpheWw&feature=player_embedded
On a final note…
Does someone in your household bother you with deep
hibernating-like snoring? Check-out what a black bear snore
sounds like and then let us know in the comment section who is
worse, your partner, parent or roommate or this sleepy black
bear! [img width=30
height=40]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-141113185047.png[/img]<br
/>
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RPd-dBJqxw&feature=player_embedded
HTML http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-weird-facts-about-hibernating-animals.html#ixzz2ky7ERTTM
#Post#: 4360--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hibernation
By: AGelbert Date: January 17, 2016, 9:04 pm
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[center]Snowed in: How 6 Species Brave the Winter[/center]
[center]
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLPeehsXAr4&feature=player_embedded[/center]
[center]A living Frogsicle. He even stops his HEART! :o[/center]
Full excellent article: [img
width=20]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-080515182559.png[/img]<br
/>
HTML http://earthjustice.org/blog/2015-december/snowed-in-how-6-species-brave-the-winter
#Post#: 6559--------------------------------------------------
Re: Hibernation
By: AGelbert Date: February 24, 2017, 6:28 pm
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Wildlife
[center]Is That a Turtle Under the Ice?
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
[/center]
By Lisa Feldkamp
Lisa Feldkamp is the senior coordinator for new science
audiences. She loves all things citizen science and enjoys
learning about everything that goes on four legs, two wings or
fins. She has a PhD in Classical Literature and Languages from
the University of Wisconsin - Madison and enjoys reading Greek
and Roman literature or talking about mythology in her spare
time.
January 30, 2017
SNIPPET:
Where are the turtles in cold months? ???
As ectotherms (or cold-blooded animals), turtles’ body
temperature and metabolism are determined by external heat
sources. When it’s cold enough outside, their metabolism slows
down, so they aren’t active enough to forage.
Where do they go and how do they survive in cold winter weather?
Turtle species exhibit a variety of incredible adaptations :o
that allow them to live through extreme weather conditions.
[img
width=175]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-060914180936.jpeg[/img]
HTML http://blog.nature.org/science/2017/01/30/turtles-under-ice-winter-survival-hibernation-adaptation/
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