98 Reptiles that live in temperate climates and high altitudes have to hibernate when temperatures drop. Hibernation in reptiles is regulated by temperature, as they lack internal thermogenesis, brown fat, and shivering mechanisms. JÖRG MAYER, TERESA BRADLEY BAYS, in Exotic Pet Behavior, 2006 Hibernation and Estivation Because cold exposure and hibernation in the hamster are associated with desaturation of white adipose tissue, hamsters are useful for studies of factors controlling the saturation of fat. Unlike the European hamster, which is a true hibernator, the Syrian hamster is not used extensively for hibernation studies since it may not reliably enter hibernation when exposed to cold temperatures and bouts of hibernation may be short ( Lyman, 1982). Hibernation ability varies among different hamster species and between individual animals however, exposure to cold stimulates the hamster to gather food, and it will hibernate at a temperature of approximately 5☌ (☒°). This behavior, not exhibited in mice, rats, or guinea pigs, enables hamsters to be used for a variety of unique experimental objectives in behavioral and physiological research ( Horwitz et al., 2013 Lyman, 1979 Storey, 2010). Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in endotherms. Claire Hankenson DVM, MS, DACLAM, in Laboratory Animal Medicine (Third Edition), 2015 i Hibernation Still others seek sites beneath rocks, logs, bark, and leaf litter.Įmily L. Other insects migrate locally as they move to hibernacula within the soil where they may burrow to avoid exposure to winter cold. One of the most extreme examples is the monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ), which may migrate more than 5000 km from southern Canada and New England to mountain sites in central Mexico. Specific behavioral changes are often associated with movement to overwintering sites, termed hibernacula. This also includes reduced morphogenesis in immature stages hibernating adults typically hibernate before reproducing. Hibernation includes entry into diapause, a dormant state that promotes survival by depressing metabolism, and energy utilization when host plants and other food sources are unavailable. It is critical for insects to synchronize their periods of feeding, growth, and reproductive activities with those times of the year when food is available and environmental conditions are suitable. This chapter discusses hibernation or overwintering state in insects. Lee Jr., in Encyclopedia of Insects (Second Edition), 2009 Publisher Summary

Animals that hibernate