Hibernation is a time/period when animals sleep through out cold weather. This is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals leading to lowering body temperature, slower breathing and lower metabolic rate. This sleep is not like human sleep where any disturbances can wake up. With true hibernations the animals appear to be dead, animal can be moved around or touched. There is no movement and it take a long time for it to wake up enough to even walk around. Hibernation may last for seven days or weeks or months depending on species, temperature, time and fur on the animals body. Animals that hibernate includes bear, bats, ground squirrels, rodents, Hedgehog, Marsupials, Rattlesnakes, etc., Bear is considered as famous Hibernator.
Hibernation is the way of adaptation of some animals to the climate and land around them. Some animals in the nature has been created in such a way that they must be able to live through extreme cold or die. These animals which are unable to stand the extreme cold Hibernate or undergo deep sleep. When an animal beings to hibernate, its body temperature drops to match the external temperature. The animals’ heartbeat and breathing also slow down which minimize the energy requirement. Some of these hibernators also store food in their caves and burrows.
Hibernating animals get their energy by a process known as Glucogenesis. During the fall, hibernating animals eat more foods than usual. Their bodies will give off their body fat during hibernation through out winter. The hibernating animal will use up the stored fat in the body. This causes the animal to appear thinner but still strong when it come out of hibernation. Before going Hibernations the animals get safe spots ready like their winter nests, dens and burrows and different kinds of animals hibernate in different kinds of safe spots. During Hibernation as their body becomes too weak and it becomes easier for their enemies to attack them, to avoid their enemies hibernating animals pick safest place to spend their winter.
There are many research projects investigating to achieve “induced hibernation “ in humans, which would be useful for a number of reasons, such as saving the lives of seriously ill or injured people by temporarily putting them in a state of hibernation until treatment can be given. NASA is also experimenting on putting astronauts in hibernation for very long space journeys.
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