Before hibernating, animals generally store fat to help them survive the winter. Hibernation is triggered by decreasing day length and hormonal changes in an animal that dictate the need to conserve energy. ![]() ![]() Chipmunks do not sleep through the entire winter however, they wake every few days to feed on stored food and to urinate and defecate. Chipmunks reduce their heart rate from the usual 350 beats per minute to an almost undetectable 4 beats per minute during hibernation. Hibernation can last days, weeks, or months depending upon the species. During hibernation an animal lowers its body temperature, slows its breathing rate, heart rate, and metabolic rate-the rate its body uses energy. Hibernation is a voluntary state an animal enters to conserve energy, when food is scarce, and minimize exposure to the winter elements. Bears enter a lighter state of sleep called torpor. However, not many animals truly hibernate, and bears are among those that do not. When we think about strategies animals use to survive the winter, we often picture birds flying south and bears hibernating in caves. Other animals settle in for a long winters nap. ![]() The snowshoe hare takes it even further, their thicker winter coat matches the color of snow, an adaptation known as camouflage. Some migrate to areas less effected by cold, some resist or adapt to withstand the effect of winter events, growing a thicker coat of fur for example. Animals have developed many strategies to survive the winter, a time when food and water are scarce.
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