| Many
animals cannot remain active in cold northern countries when night temperatures
are close to freezing and daytime temperatures are still low. They cope
with this by seeking a sheltered place in which to spend the winter in a
state of torpor. Their body temperatures fall, they breathe slowly and they
stop moving. This is not sleep but a different state which allows their
bodies to ‘shut down’ and not waste energy until it becomes warm enough
to resume active life.
Some amphibians,
particularly male Common Frogs, choose to hibernate in mud at the bottom
of ponds, using their skins to breathe. They will survive, even in the
pond freezes over briefly, but if it remains frozen for long, they may
die. Keeping a small area of open water will help them enormously. Others
hibernate underground in mammal burrows, under tree roots and buildings.
|
