hibernation chamber - SMARTPHONE
NextBigFuture: Plan to Test Induced Hibernation on Animals on the Space Station Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is most commonly used to pass through winter months – called overwintering. Hibernation, a state of greatly reduced metabolic activity and lowered body temperature adopted by certain mammals as an adaptation to adverse winter conditions.
Context Explanation
Hibernation is a state where animals significantly reduce their metabolic rate, body temperature, heart rate and breathing to conserve energy during periods when food is scarce. While hibernation is often used to describe any animal that goes into dormancy in the winter, there are three very specific requirements for an animal to be considered a true hibernator: reduced metabolism, slower heart rate, and lowered body temperature. Hibernation is a way for many creatures – from butterflies to bats – to survive cold, dark winters without having to forage for food or migrate to somewhere warmer. Instead, they turn down their metabolisms to save energy.
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Insight Material
Animals in hot climates also undergo a form of hibernation called aestivation. What is hibernation, how does it work, and which animals do it? Despite what you may have heard, species that hibernate don’t “sleep” during the winter. Hibernation is an extended form of torpor, a state where metabolism is depressed to less than five percent of normal.