Creatures That Enter Torpor During Winter, Achieving Survival Through Inactivity
Animals have developed unique strategies to conserve energy and survive the harsh winter months. Two of these strategies, torpor and brumation, are used by a variety of species to endure brief periods of cold or food scarcity.
Torpor is a state of dormancy that many animals, including hummingbirds, certain species of bats, sugar gliders, and small rodents like the common poorwill, enter on a daily or weekly basis. During torpor, their metabolic rate and body temperature dramatically decrease, allowing them to conserve energy. Some bat species, such as the little brown bat, use torpor on a nightly basis to save energy. Unlike true hibernation, animals in torpor can quickly become active when conditions improve.
On the other hand, brumation is a version of hibernation that cold-blooded animals, like reptiles and amphibians, use to survive the winter. During brumation, these animals slow down significantly, reducing their metabolic rate and body temperature. Different lizard species, such as bearded dragons, brumate by slowing their activity and food intake. Some turtle species can survive months without surfacing for air during brumation, absorbing oxygen through their skin while in this state. Turtles burrow into the mud at the bottom of ponds and lakes for brumation.
Bears are one of the most well-known animals that hibernate. They hibernate in dens throughout the winter, drastically lowering their metabolism. Unlike bears, skunks don't fully hibernate, but they do enter torpor during particularly harsh winter weather.
Arctic Ground Squirrels are the only known animal whose body temperature drops below freezing during hibernation. Wood Frogs actually freeze solid during winter and survive on glucose antifreeze until spring.
Alligators enter brumation in shallow water or mud, slowing their metabolism to near dormancy. Many snake species, including garter snakes, gather in large dens and enter brumation together.
In conclusion, torpor and brumation are essential survival strategies for many animals during the winter months. These states allow them to conserve energy and survive brief periods of cold or food scarcity, ensuring their survival until more favourable conditions return.
