Why Do Animals Hibernate?

Photo by Hans-Jurgen Mager on Unsplash

on January 22, 2025

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Have you ever woken up from a really long nap and realized that most of the day is gone? Imagine what it’s like for hibernating animals who spend most of the winter in a sleeplike state called dormancy. You don’t sleep for the entire winter! So why do some animals? It all comes down to the way that God provided for these creatures to survive the winter.

Wake Me Up When There’s Food

Dormancy is different from sleeping. In fact, animals must come out of dormancy to catch some z’s. As it gets colder, food gets scarce. Animals will eat a lot in the fall to build up fat, and then they will go into dormancy during the winter while food is scarce. This trait allows them to conserve energy and live off the fat they have built up. While they’re conserving energy, their entire body slows down. Their heart rate gets very slow, and they might only breathe once every few minutes. Some animals do not breathe for over an hour! In freezing temperatures, the animal’s body can drop below the temperature of ice cubes. During warmer days in the winter, some animals will temporarily wake up to eat, drink, or breed.

Hibernation? Brumation? What’s the Difference?

While we normally say that all animals who go dormant over the winter are hibernating, this is technically not the case. Only mammals, mostly small mammals, are true hibernators. Reptiles and amphibians go into a similar state called brumation (broo-MAY-shon). While they are in brumation, these creatures are very slow. They don’t eat but will still drink so that they don’t dehydrate. Hibernators don’t eat or drink!

The God Who Provides

Hibernation and brumation are two types of dormancies that help animals conserve energy during the colder months when it is difficult to find food. God gave these animals the ability to survive frigid winters and then jump back to normal in the spring. Scientists still don’t understand how all of it works! Just as God provides a way for these creatures to survive freezing temperatures, he also provides for us every single day. Let’s give thanks to our good God who takes care of his creation!

Hibernation Facts

  • Did you know that hibernation is not just a cold-weather thing? Scientists noticed animals in the tropics disappearing for several months. It turns out that these animals go into hibernation as well.
  • During the winter, some types of animals (such as snakes) will hibernate together in burrows called hibernaculum (hi-ber -NAK-yoo-luhm). Even some creatures that would normally hunt each other spend the winter curled up together!

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