Why do some animals hibernate? Design and research work “Hibernation in animals

They fall in. To do this, they prepare a den for themselves in the fall, choosing a safe place in natural ravines, small cozy caves or at the roots of huge trees. To protect themselves from the cold, they insulate their rookery with dry moss, leaves, grass and fluffy spruce branches.

In addition, bears eat a lot at the end of summer and autumn in order to store as much as possible for winter. subcutaneous fat. Otherwise, in the middle of winter, this beast may be interrupted by a strong feeling of hunger, as a result of which an evil connecting rod will wander through the forest. Distinctive feature bear hibernation consists of slight decrease body temperature. In addition, the bear is quite easy to get out of this state.

Hamsters, chipmunks and badgers sleep in winter, but their sleep is also quite light. In addition, these animals wake up in the middle of winter to satisfy their hunger with the help of supplies prepared in the fall. And gophers can hibernate not only in winter, but also in summer. In the latter case, this is usually due to lack of food. The striped raccoon also plunges into a long winter sleep.

In marmots, hibernation lasts from 4 to 6 months, depending on the climate of the region in which they live. During this time they do not feed, but wake up every three weeks for approximately 12-20 hours. Scientists explain this by the need to stabilize life processes. Nevertheless, marmots emerge from hibernation quite well-fed.

But in hedgehogs, snakes and frogs, the body temperature drops quite significantly during hibernation, and the metabolism slows down significantly. Hedgehogs make deep wintering holes in the ground, snakes - in the soil below the freezing zone, in deep cracks in rocks and under stumps. For the winter, frogs bury themselves in mud or dive into a pond. Their body temperature becomes slightly lower than environment, which allows them to survive for several winter months. IN warm countries frogs also enter a seasonal state of suspended animation.

You should know that not all animals hibernate. Animals that do not hibernate continue to lead an active lifestyle.

Animals, when they hibernate, can sleep for five to eight days. At the same time, they curl up into a ball for less heat loss. While the animal sleeps, its organs work, just as in normal life.

After resting, the animal must eat to regain strength.

An animal may appear dead when it is hibernating - this is because it is completely motionless. Breathing and digestion slow down, and the heart pumps slowly. Therefore, the body temperature reaches 10 degrees Celsius.

In this state, the animal uses its fat reserves accumulated over the summer.

If the animal adapts well, it can spend several months in hibernation - for example, bears and hedgehogs sleep for so long.

So why do animals hibernate?

They do this in order to make up for the temporary lack of food. In winter, the bear will not find small mammals and fruits, and the hedgehog will not find insects for food.

The place where an animal hibernates is of great importance. The hedgehog digs a hole under the roots of trees, where it spends the winter, and bears like to sleep in dens where there is no wind and it is not cold. A bear can die from lack of food if it is awakened during hibernation. You should also know that in order for a bear to return to hibernation, it needs a lot of strength and energy, which it may not have in winter.

Sometimes I also want to fall asleep for a long time, but, unfortunately, this is not given to a person. The maximum I can sleep is fifteen hours, probably. Rarely can a person sleep even for a day (as specialists at sleep centers say), although no one has recorded the maximum duration of sleep. But animals can sleep for a couple of months, but first things first.

Bears

These animals are classified as super predators. For example, a brown bear can weigh up to 600 kilograms. This “colossus” needs a lot of food. And, of course, before they hibernate, bears eat up their fat.

So, every autumn, bears that live in temperate and polar latitudes begin active preparations for hibernation. They not only try to eat more, but also look for shelter for the winter.

In some cases, bears can sleep for six months. It is surprising that some female bears can even give birth during hibernation.

Of course, at this time the bears' metabolism decreases and their heart rate slows down. For example, black representatives of the genus can slow it down to nine beats per minute.

Those bears that come out of hibernation before the allotted time are usually called “connecting rods”.

Frog

Yes, this reptile also goes into hibernation in winter. And before this period, they also actively gain weight by eating heavily.

Of course, there are many types of frogs. Each species prepares for hibernation in different ways, and they fall asleep at different times of the year.

For example, frogs that live in lakes fall asleep as soon as the air temperature drops. The overwhelming majority of frogs spend the winter in wooded areas.

What other animals can hibernate?

Five animals that hibernate:

raccoons;
badgers;
jerboas;
hamsters;
chipmunks.

I’ll tell you a little more about hamsters. Their version of hibernation, of course, is more “light” than that of bears. This can not even be called hibernation, but numbness. In winter, the body of this animal switches to a very economical mode. His body temperature drops sharply, and he simply does not react to anything.

Winter cold makes its own adjustments to the behavior of many animals. Bears, raccoons, hedgehogs, marmots, badgers, jerboas hibernate before the onset of warm weather, but there are also those who do not sleep in winter, trying with all their might to survive in difficult natural conditions. What animals do not sleep in the forest in winter? These include almost all of our favorite children's fairy tales. wild animals: squirrels, hares, foxes, wolves, etc.

Most people are preparing for winter forest inhabitants begins even before the onset of cold weather. Some of them stock up on food in advance, change their coat color, and improve their homes. Such prudent animals include squirrels. Their preparation for frost begins in warm weather. In winter, squirrels live in nests, which they make in empty hollows or on the branches of branches. Rodents stock up on nuts, acorns, cones and mushrooms in advance, so that during difficult winter times they and their cubs have something to eat. They hide their food supplies under old stumps, moss, in empty hollows and tree roots. Squirrels insulate their homes with dry straw, leaves and moss, which they also stock up on long before frost. The animal spends the winter in the nest, leaving it only to take food from its hiding places. Before the weather gets colder, the squirrel’s coat changes its color from red to gray, making its owner less noticeable against the background of white snow. Lightened fur becomes thicker and warmer, helping the squirrel survive the cold season with dignity. The tree dweller plunges into a short hibernation only in severe frosts, the rest of the time she deftly jumps along the branches, becoming a real decoration of empty forests and parks.

Unlike the hardworking squirrel, the hare does not prepare for winter. In the cold season it is not easy for him, because he does not have his own warm hole or den where he could wait out the severe frosts or hide from enemies. Before winter, hares molt, changing the color of their coats from gray to white. This allows them to become invisible to hungry predators scouring the forest in search of prey. To make it more comfortable for the animal to move through cold snow and slippery ice, the pads of his paws are covered with fur. The main problem In winter the rodent becomes searching for food. He does not make any food reserves, so with the onset of frost he has to eat only what he can find. The main food of hares in the cold months are dried and frozen berries, dry grass, bark and tree branches preserved from autumn. In winter, hares prefer to stay close to human habitation: here they have the opportunity to feast on hay, leftover animal feed and the bark of fruit trees. During the day, rodents prefer to sleep, and go out in search of food in the dark, when they are least visible to predators and hunters. Hares do not have a warm home; burrows, which they dig in the snowdrifts, serve as shelter for them. Thick fur saves them from freezing, and fast paws protect them from enemies.

Those who do not sleep in winter often have a hard time, because not all animals manage to survive the snowy and hungry months. The constant search for food is not the only test for animals in winter forest. No less important issue they become hunters, whose numbers increase sharply with the onset of the cold season. But, despite the difficulties, animals manage not only to find food and hide from enemies, but also to prepare for the birth of offspring.

The fox feels like the mistress of the forest in winter. The cheat does not change the color of its coat, as squirrels and hares do. A thick and warm undercoat helps her survive severe frosts, which begins to grow back in the summer. The paws of the red predator are covered with fur, thanks to which it can calmly walk in the snow and not freeze. Foxes do not tend to stockpile food, so searching for food becomes their daily problem. They cleverly find mice under the snow, often make their way to villages and steal chickens, geese and other poultry from people. Often a hare becomes the prey of an animal. The fox does not have its own home; it spends the night right in the snow, curled up into a ball and covering its nose with its fluffy tail. The mating season for foxes lasts from January to February. Several males can court one female at once. To gain her favor, they stage real fights. The strongest male becomes the female's chosen one. After mating with him, the fox begins to choose a place for a hole in which she will give birth and raise future offspring. To protect their cubs from enemies, they set up burrows on the hills, from where the entire area is clearly visible.

What animals still don't sleep in winter? Of course, wolves are the most dangerous forest predators. On the eve of winter, they grow long and thick hair, which allows them to withstand cold weather. The wolf has no hole or den. He sleeps in the snow, covering his tail and paws with his own tail. IN winter period wolves spend the day sleeping, waking up and going out to hunt after dusk. They see perfectly in the dark and have excellent hearing, allowing them to hear the slightest rustle. In search of food, a wolf is ready to run tens of kilometers. He hunts not only small animals, but also large animals whose size exceeds his own. Wolves go hunting either alone or in a pack (the coordinated actions of all its participants help to catch a large animal). Being very hungry, they become indiscriminate and often attack people and dogs. In the absence of large prey, these predators are content with small rodents. In order to survive, wolves are ready to physically eliminate competitors. There are often cases when they strangle foxes in order to take possession of their prey. Wolves not only hunt in packs, but also live in them, because this makes it easier for them to survive in difficult conditions. They lead a nomadic lifestyle and only at the end of winter they set up a den for themselves to give birth to offspring.

It’s hard for wild boars in the cold season. If there is no heavy snowfall or severe frost in winter, these animals feed on small rodents, remains of acorns, roots and leaves. In severe cold, when the ground freezes, they often have to starve. Because of this, wild boars become very weak and often become prey for wolves. To protect themselves from danger, they sleep during the day in a den built from fallen leaves, and go out in search of food at night.

Winter is the most restless time of the year for forest inhabitants. During this period, animals have to struggle to find food and remain extremely careful so as not to fall into the clutches of predators and become prey to hunters. The only exception to this rule is the squirrel, which stores food in advance and arranges its nest in such a way that it feels cozy and warm in winter.

Instructions

Some animals go into a life-saving hibernation in winter. The main condition for this is large number subcutaneous fat and a cozy, well-protected den. A prominent representative of this pastime is. In the fall, he begins to eat a lot so that later he can sleep peacefully without feeling hungry. Otherwise, the hungry and very cranky one begins to stagger, and it is better not to get in his way. The den for this animal can be a small depression in the ground at the roots of trees, a natural cave or ravine, into which it drags moss, leaves, grass in advance, and then covers everything with spruce branches.

Badgers and raccoons also hibernate in their burrows. Moreover, their body temperature, like theirs, decreases significantly due to the slowdown in life processes. Most rodents also sleep in their burrows: beavers, chipmunks, mice, marmots, gophers and others. It’s just that the latter have intermittent sleep - they eat food stored for the winter, which they hide right in.

Squirrels spend the winter in their nests, which they build in tree hollows or on branches. Moreover, the nest, as a rule, has two entrances in case of uninvited guests. Even in winter, the squirrel often leaves the nest to feed on the reserves of nuts hidden over the summer, which it stores at the roots of trees or in a hollow.

Well, as you know, the wolf, hare and fox in the forest are fed by their feet. The fox runs in search of holes with rodents, the hare looks for roots, frozen berries, grass or thin branches of bushes. Well, the wolf runs several tens of kilometers a day in search of food - wild boars, hares and other animals. The hare and fox also have holes, and female wolves only have wolves for breeding, closer to spring. In winter, as a rule, wolves gather in packs to allow them to survive better.

Sources:

animals in the forest in winter

Squirrels, according to zoological scientists, usually prefer to spend the winter, settling in the hollows of tall trees or creating a rather large and warm nest - the so-called haino. To weave it, the animals use twigs and twigs of various lengths and thicknesses.

Squirrel nests

The squirrel’s home, which zoologists call “gaino,” looks like a nest. It is a kind of slightly elongated bag carefully made from twigs, grass and moss. The inside of the hole is also lined with moss, sometimes with a downy “decoration”.

Often, a squirrel’s home has a conical canopy outside that can reliably protect the “house” from strong gusts of wind and even rain.

The squirrels usually form quite tall trees, approximately at half their height. According to zoologists, animals, as a rule, keep their homes clean. At the same time, squirrels also make their homes in tree hollows; they also line the internal surfaces with “available materials” - grass, fluff and moss.

At the first sign of bad weather, squirrels try to quickly hide in their “nests.” Having plugged the entrance hole and comfortably covered themselves with a fluffy tail, they curl up into balls, waiting out bad weather. They can do this for quite a long time, since they make supplies in advance, carefully collecting, for example, mushroom caps. The animals quickly string them onto bare branches to dry them for winter.

Winter squirrel diet

Squirrels try to take care of a warm and satisfying winter in advance. IN autumn forest You can often see a galloping horse squeezing a bunch of nuts or berries in its teeth - the animals are able to choose the most suitable fruits for harvesting.

The animals try to better hide their reserves in deep hollows so that in winter they have something to eat.

According to zoological scientists, squirrels also happily eat seeds from cones. coniferous trees. Sometimes in winter you can see a squirrel sitting high up holding a spruce or pine cone in its front paws, quickly gnawing the seeds out of it. In the most productive years, many spruce trees have real garlands of cones hanging on them, so the squirrels do not have problems with feeding. According to experts, in order to eat, the animal needs to gnaw seeds from 28 spruce trees or 380 pine cones, with each of which the squirrel straightens out for 2-3 minutes.

Squirrels in signs

Interestingly, several old Russian signs are associated with the behavior of squirrels. For example, if animals were not visible in the forest, although the weather was fair and the sky was clear, it was believed that severe frosts might soon arrive. And if you unexpectedly meet someone in the forest, this promises an acquaintance with a person who will later become true friend. When a person saw, it could mean birth. Offending squirrels has always been regarded as a bad act, which can bring misfortune and illness to the one who harmed the forest animal.

Get lost in in winter– what could be worse! But this can happen to anyone. Remember that there are no hopeless situations. It is quite possible to survive in the winter thicket. You just need to figure out how to stay warm and find food.

Instructions

Cold is the main enemy in snowy forest. If you have matches, it's not the same. But you can warm up without a fire. Move, move and move. Then you won’t freeze, because the body produces it when you move. You can sing louder while moving. This will boost your morale. In addition, people nearby may hear you. If you are tired of walking, squat and then walk again.

You also need to go at night. After all, spending the night in the cold is not best idea. You may fall asleep and not wake up. It's another matter if you have matches or a lighter and can start a fire. Then break some spruce branches for warm bedding and shelter, build a den in the snow and prepare more firewood. You can light a fire using birch bark or thin bark, and then add thin twigs and... The fire must be maintained all night.

Don't breathe through your mouth, try to inhale through your nose. Then there is a greater chance that you will not catch a cold. Snow can satisfy the body's need for water. But don’t eat the snow, but melt it. There is no way to make a fire - at least do not swallow the snow at once and in large portions. Take a small handful, hold the snow in your mouth longer, it will not only melt, but the resulting water will also heat up.

You need to go in the direction where there may be settlements or people. Use the sun to guide you if you don't have a compass. It's better to find a river and go downstream. Then sooner or later you will definitely come across a settlement. You can also look for clearings and listen closely: perhaps you will hear the sound of cars moving along the road. Then follow the sound. Remember that nowadays there are always populated areas within a radius of 50 km.

Please note

How to properly sleep in the forest in winter. If you happen to spend the night in the forest, and even in winter, you don’t need to hesitate in arranging your lodging for the night, because at this time of year the sun sets early, and it will be somewhat difficult to look for building materials for a temporary dwelling and firewood for making a fire in the dark.

Useful advice

Sometimes, to protect from the wind, it is enough to build a protective wall out of snow. The most ideal shelter for survival in the forest in winter is the Eskimo igloo hut, which for centuries served as a home for the indigenous inhabitants of the North. However, you will have to tinker with its construction.

Mice and shrews are among the most defenseless creatures in the animal kingdom. But paradoxically, the most fierce enemy It is not predators, but frosts. In winter, small animals can freeze to death if they are not properly prepared in time.

Instructions

The main protection against winter cold for field mice is, oddly enough, snow. Like a blanket, it wraps the earth, in the depths of which you can hide from the wind and cold. In preparation for frost, mice dig main passages and multi-story burrows. Under the roots of trees, as well as in places where the snowdrifts are the largest, they dig holes up to 50-60 cm deep and build round nests covered with grass stems.

Forest mice, unlike field animals, closer to winter they move closer to humans and occupy the basements of residential buildings. However, they also bring supplies of nuts, seeds and other food into temporary shelters. House mice also spend winters in barns, stacks, cellars, basements, attics, etc.

With the onset of autumn, gerbils become active 24 hours a day. They prepare winter supplies weighing up to 500 g. They overwinter in multi-chamber burrows, the depth of which can reach two meters. They usually house from five to fifteen individuals.

For shrews, winter is a difficult period, since they do not eat plant food and have nothing to store for future use. Therefore, with the onset of cold weather, they move closer to people. Agile and dexterous, the shrew extracts insects from under the snow and even attacks voles, despite the fact that they are larger than it.

Almost all mice prepare supplies for the winter: nuts, acorns, high-calorie cereal seeds, etc. Certain species of mice - primarily those that live in the Far North - in winter. It happens that some mice (mentioned above) climb to the tops of fir trees and bury themselves in snow-covered voids.

The hare is a representative of herbivores, a rodent, widespread throughout the country. As children, children are shown pictures of an animal with gray fur, which it wears in the summer, and white fur in the winter. This is where many people end up knowing what the hare does in winter.

Instructions

Animals experience the cold season differently. Someone, for example, in order to save resources, goes into hibernation and wakes up only when the snow melts, the air becomes warmer, and it will be easier to find food. Other animals, for example, make provisions for the winter. The hare does neither one nor the other.

With the onset of cold weather, the hare. He exchanges his usual fur for a white fur coat. Now it will not be so easy for the rodent’s numerous enemies to notice their prey. For ease of movement on snow and ice, the animal’s paw pads are also covered with fur. Sweat begins to appear on them, serving as a kind of lubricant.

They do not make provisions for the winter; they feed on what can be found in the winter forest. IN progress is underway tree bark, dried grass, thin branches, frozen berries left over from the fall. As winter approaches, many people prefer to move closer to human habitation. There they can enjoy hay or fruit tree bark.

In winter, the hare prefers to go out in search of food closer to dusk. During the day, his fur coat in the snow can be visible to the sharp-eyed, but at night other animals lie in wait for him. When it begins to get dark, the rodent feels most protected. During the day, he spends time near his burrow, ready to instantly disappear into it in case of danger.

In spring, when the snow finally melts and it becomes warm, the appearance also changes. He sheds his coat again, shedding his snow-white coat, and acquires his usual gray fur, which makes him less noticeable in the summer.

The alternation of periods of wakefulness and sleep is very important not only for humans, but also for animals. Thanks to this, the body of living beings rests and gains strength to continue life. But unlike humans, each animal sleeps differently.

Sleep of large animals

The sleep of large animals, as a rule, is short, but there are exceptions among them. Lions, and others large predators cat breeds can sleep 15-20 hours a day. Such a long time is necessary to lead an active life, full of energetic jumping and chasing during the hunt. They sleep on the ground or in trees so as not to disturb other inhabitants of the animal world.

They sleep for about 13 hours, sitting on the ground or branches in the most relaxed positions: on the back, stomach and even on the side. Many people lean their backs against a tree while sleeping. Other members of the family sleep for shorter periods of time - from 7 to 10 hours.

But for elephants, 3-4 hours of sleep per day is enough. Adults typically sleep standing up, placing their heavy tusks on thick tree branches or lattice openings in captivity. However, if they wish, they can sleep like young people - lying on their stomachs and even on their sides, with their legs stretched out and... As a rule, the whole herd never sleeps soundly - someone always remains on guard.

Horses, goats, cows and most other ungulates sleep the same amount.

Shortest sleep time ever large mammals a giraffe needs just a couple of hours. He sleeps only at night, curled up in a kind of ball and resting his neck on his back or burying his head in the ground. At the same time, his duration of sound sleep does not exceed 20 minutes per day.

Bears spend little time sleeping in spring, summer and autumn, but in winter they hibernate for a long time in their den. Wolves sleep very lightly, especially those who are alone or who are in a den with their cubs.

Seals sleep at the bottom of reservoirs, rising to the surface every five minutes to take a breath of air. And sea lions sleep in the water on their backs, like humans.

The proportion of REM sleep in recently born animals is higher, and as they grow older it decreases.

Small Animal Sleep

Small animals usually sleep very lightly and for longer periods of time than large ones. This happens for several reasons: the presence of constant danger around, short life expectancy and fast metabolism. Many of them, by the way, prefer nap. Among them, for example, are badgers, owls, bats and others.

Marmots have the longest sleep among rodents. They spend almost 70% of their life sleeping, and this can last from 4.5 to 9 months, depending on the weather conditions where they live. Only the dormouse, which is awake only 2-3 hours a day, can compete with the marmot.

Foxes always carefully prepare for sleep, choosing a hole and spinning in it for a long time, and then curling up into a ball and wrapping their tail around themselves. Foxes in pairs always sleep next to each other, gathering in one ball. 7-8 hours are enough for them to sleep.

Squirrels sleep 15 hours a day, taking breaks to eat or take care of. But moles - for 2-3 hours several times a day. Dogs also sleep more than others, because they do not have to worry about searching for food.

Birds often sleep, but their sleep is always light, and their eyes are constantly open. Pisces do not sleep at all - they rest, being motionless. There is no deep sleep phase and, after a certain period of time, they must jump out of the water to get air. For 5-6 hours, they alternately rest the right and left halves of the brain - this process replaces sleep for them.

Video on the topic

Swamp turtles prefer ponds with stagnant water, where they have a large supply of food, as well as all the conditions for hibernation. Winter cold could kill a turtle unable to maintain its body temperature, but natural self-preservation mechanisms allow turtles to spend all the cold months underwater.

Tadpoles, worms, as well as algae, which the turtle feeds on throughout the summer season. Summer is a very important period, since at this time the amphibian needs to lay several clutches of eggs and accumulate a significant amount of fat reserves, which will be sufficient to maintain the animal’s life while it is in hibernation.

The first wintering of a marsh turtle

Surprisingly, turtles enter their first nest immediately after birth, never leaving their nest. The thing is that swamp turtles are often not happy with long periods, so warm days are only enough for small turtles buried deep in the sand to form in their shells. Reptile eggs are completely dependent on the sun, so warm days it is only enough for the turtles to hatch, since the incubation period ranges from 54 to 90 days, depending on the ambient temperature.

Turtles hatch in mid-autumn, when it is already starting to get colder and there is not enough food for them, so they do not leave their underground nest, hibernating where they emerged from the shell. Turtles do not have stored fat, but they have large sacs of yolk on their abdomens, which help them survive the winter cold while hibernating. Newborn turtles are literally frozen in their nests, but when spring arrives, they wait again and emerge into sunlight for the first time.

Overwintering device for an adult turtle

Decrease in ambient temperature September-October- this is the main signal for turtles that it is time to prepare for hibernation. By this time, the turtles are already fully prepared for such a change and have stocked up on the necessary amount of fat. For the winter, most swamp turtles sink to the bottom of the reservoir and bury themselves deep in the mud. The temperature of the mud where the turtles hide does not fall below 3-5 °C, so adult turtles do not freeze completely.

In the dense mud, the turtle sinks, stops breathing, and slows down its heartbeat and metabolism. The turtle spends the entire winter in this state, waking up only when the water temperature rises to +5-7°C. In cases, swamp turtles hide for the winter in dug holes on steep banks near a pond, but such cases are extremely rare and are observed mainly in reservoirs where the layer of silt is insufficient for wintering turtles.

Department of Education

Administration of the Miass region

municipal educational institution

Miass secondary (complete) comprehensive school No. 9

Miass district Chelyabinsk region

Research work

Hibernation in animals

The work was carried out by Timur Khusnutdinov,

3rd grade student

Municipal Educational Institution of Miass Secondary

Head of Cork Olga Nikolaevna,

primary school teacher

MKOU Miass secondary school

secondary school № 9

Miass 2011

Research topic: Hibernation in animals

Purpose of the study– study what hibernation is in animals.

Tasks:

To study the phenomenon of hibernation in animals;

Why do animals hibernate?

Find out which animals hibernate.

Subject of research: animals that hibernate.

Object of study: the phenomenon of hibernation in animals;

Research methods: study and analysis of popular science literature, a visit to the Chelyabinsk zoo, consultations with a veterinarian on the care of hibernating pets.

Plan

What is hibernation? Types of hibernation;

What animals hibernate?

Reasons why animals hibernate;

Personal research and observations;

What is hibernation?

Hibernation in animals - a period of slowdown in life processes in the animal’s body, associated with a decrease in environmental temperature and inaccessibility of food.

It is characterized by a decrease in the animal’s body temperature, slowing of breathing and heart rate.

Distinguish summer and winter hibernation Aestivation characteristic of many desert and semi-desert rodents (marmots, gophers) and some reptiles (lizards), which thanks to this can safely survive the driest and most hungry times. Hibernation characteristic of some rodents, insectivores (hedgehogs), as well as the brown bear - this is a biological adaptation for surviving an unfavorable season of the year (lack of sufficient food, cold weather).

Based on the degree of torpor, many scientists distinguish three types of hibernation:

1) easy, expressed in a slight stupor that easily stops (raccoons, badgers, bears, raccoon dogs). For example, on warm winter days or in case of danger, the bear wakes up and even leaves the den, and then falls asleep again in the same den or in another place;

2) complete numbness, accompanied by awakening only on warmer winter days (hamsters, chipmunks, long-eared moths - bats);

3) real continuous hibernation, which is a stable, long-lasting torpor (gophers, hedgehogs, marmots, jerboas, dormice and most species bats) .

Animals hibernating

Bear Hedgehog

Bat Marmot

Chipmunk Gopher

Raccoon Chipmunk

Amphibians Badger

Reasons why animals hibernate

Real hibernation is somewhat similar to death and has nothing in common with ordinary sleep. When an animal is in hibernation, all its vital activity drops to almost zero. The animal's body temperature becomes only slightly higher than the surrounding air.

This is why animals use up their food reserves accumulated in their bodies very, very slowly. Because they consume less fuel, they need less oxygen, and as a result, their breathing slows and their heart beats slower. If the temperature in the den becomes very low, the hibernating animal wakes up, buries itself deeper and goes back to sleep.

Animals that hibernate do not store food for the winter. But during the warm season they accumulate fat in their body, which allows them to exist safely in the event of a sharp decline in vital activity. long time without food. So when they for a long time If they cannot find food for themselves, they crawl deep into their holes and fall asleep.

Hibernation usually takes place in burrows, dens, and deep crevices, where sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity are less affected and a favorable microclimate is created.

During hibernation, all species of mammals lie motionless in their burrows, curled up into a ball. The winter quarters of many mammals are natural voids in the stems and hollows of trees. Animals spend the whole winter like this, feeding on stored fat.

In nature, the main incentives for hibernation are a decrease in temperature, a decrease in day length, and a lack of food.

Conclusion:

Nature has come up with a wonderful device to save its offspring - living organisms from unfavorable conditions.

She arranged it so that plants and animals simply “switch off” from active life when it becomes impossible to live normally.

Animals can survive cold winter due to the fact that they go into hibernation. The duration of hibernation is an adaptation to survive the winter lack of food and cold.

Literature

"Ilmensky Reserve" ed. E.M. Nikolaeva, Chelyabinsk, 1991;

“Big Atlas of Russian Nature”, ed. I. Kopylova, Moscow, 2003;

"Big Children's Encyclopedia" ed. M. Morozova, Moscow, 2005;

Wikipedia, www.wiki.org

All animals, without exception, prefer rest, either at night or during the day, to active wakefulness. They especially love to fall into or catalepsy. In countries with cold and temperate climates, the usual pastime of animals is six-month hibernation.

Hibernation is a hereditary reaction of living organisms to temperature changes, formed millions of years ago. It was possible to survive these changes only by learning to regulate your own temperature during the onset of cold or heat. From the ability to get laid hard time The life of the animal depended.

This is how nature took care of its creatures - this skill will be useful to them if the climate on Earth changes again.

Hibernation is characterized by a slowdown in the metabolism of animals during periods when food is inaccessible, which means it is impossible to maintain activity and a high level of metabolism.

Preparing for hibernation

In preparation for a long sleep, animals accumulate reserves nutrients, their weight due to fat can increase by 40%, and they also store food. Nutrition during the preparatory period is rich in fatty acids, which increase immunity and resistance to prolonged torpor.

Rodents spend the winter in families or alone. The burrows they dig can stretch three meters or more inward. They store grains, nuts and seeds to maintain vitality.

The shelter (hollow, cave, burrow) is selected taking into account safety, protection from predators, and microclimate: the temperature of the shelter should be slightly above zero, even in severe frosts outside.

Animals are divided into:

Endothermic, maintaining thermoregulation using internal resources. These include all warm-blooded organisms: mammals, birds.
Ectothermic, their temperature depends on the environment. These include cold-blooded organisms (reptiles, amphibians, fish).

Types of hibernation by duration:

Daily allowance(in bats and hummingbirds).

This type of deep sleep can occur in any season, in both mammals and birds. Physiological processes are less slow than during seasonal hibernation. Body temperature usually drops to 18°C, in rare cases - below 10°C, metabolism decreases by a third.

Seasonal- winter (hibernation) or summer (estivation).

Winter (hibernation) hibernation is not a uniform state and is interrupted by short periods“warming” the body: body temperature rises briefly and energy exchange increases. The body temperature usually drops to 10°C or lower. In long-tailed ground squirrels it drops to 3°C. Metabolism is 5% and sometimes slows down to 1% of normal.

Irregular, in squirrels and raccoon dogs, when unfavorable conditions occur suddenly.

Hibernation

Winter is a difficult experience for many animals. Migratory birds To get to warm regions, they travel enormous distances. Animals that cannot leave places with a cold climate adapt to the change of season in their own way: they plunge into a sleep-like state.

When the ambient temperature drops to five degrees Celsius, beetles and butterflies, toads and frogs, lizards and snakes, bears and hedgehogs go to sleep. Ciliates, amoebas and algae, gathering in big ball, wrapped in a protective shell.

Crucians and carps burrow into the mud. Bats They sleep in caves for six months, hanging upside down.

Aestivation

Summer hibernation or diapause (temporary cessation of development, a state of physiological rest) ensures the survival of organisms during dry periods of the year. Fish sleep, wrapped in silt at the bottom of dry reservoirs. Turtles and rodents, deprived of food, fall asleep until winter, when the swamps and plants dry out from the heat.

Some inhabitants of the tropics also tend to fall asleep for a long period: African hedgehogs They sleep for about three months, while the insectivores of Madagascar sleep for about four months.

The hibernation record is broken by rodents. The sand squirrel sleeps for nine months in a row. Falling into summer hibernation at the end of July, the animal enters winter hibernation without waking up.

Periodic awakenings. Some animals wake up from sleep from time to time. Scientists do not know exactly the purpose and reason for this behavior. Awakening can last from several minutes in small organisms to several hours in large ones.

There are so many living organisms that hibernate that it is very difficult to list them all. Soviet zoologist N.I. Kalabukhov argued that There are much more animals in a state of torpor in winter than there are awake ones.

Physiology of hibernation

Body temperature. Sleeping animals are only a fraction of a degree warmer than the surrounding air. The body temperature of the dormouse drops from 38 degrees to 3.7 (ten times!). In some species it can drop to zero and even minus five degrees Celsius.

The dalliya fish, a rare warm-blooded fish, falls asleep when the water bodies of Chukotka freeze through. If you put dahlia frozen in a piece of ice in warm water, then as soon as the ice melts, the fish will come to life. Thanks to the unique glycerin-like impregnation, ice crystals that can rupture cell membranes do not form in dahlia tissues.

The hypothermic state in everyone else is manageable. Brain regulators, led by the tireless hypothalamus (the part of the brain responsible for constant internal environment body) turn on the fat heating in a timely manner so that the body temperature does not fall below a critical level.

Metabolism during hibernation, it decreases in animals to 10-15% of the norm.

Breath in sleeping mammals it decreases by 40 times. In many species, it alternates: rapid superficial breathing is replaced by apnea (lack of breathing), lasting more than an hour, which causes oxygen starvation.

Gas exchange– decreases by 10 times. The hedgehog, curled up into a ball, takes a subtle breath just once a minute.

Brain activity is stored only in the hippocampus, a section adjacent to the hypothalamus.

Heart slows down the frequency of contractions per minute to 5-10 beats; in a hedgehog it beats even at zero body temperature. This is surprising, because in animals that do not hibernate, the heart stops at a body temperature of 15 degrees.

Blood pressure decreases slightly, from 20% to 40, as blood viscosity increases due to a decrease in temperature. Thanks to increased blood viscosity, the heart is better supplied with “brown fat,” a source of energy.

Hormonal system before hibernation, it adapts to a new rhythm: the animal accumulates fat, enzymes, vitamins, especially vitamin E, which inhibits metabolism. In the summer, animals get fat, increasing their weight three times by the fall, and in the spring they wake up thin and weakened.

Interesting fact:

The hibernation of the brown bear, squirrel and prairie dog is not real - they fall into a state of superficial torpor. Their metabolism slows down slightly, and their body temperature, pulse and breathing are at levels typical for normal sleep. Most of them hide in their shelters and support their existence from the food and fat reserves they have collected for this occasion.

A bear's consciousness does not turn off during hibernation; it is easy to wake him up.

Pros and cons of hibernation

An undoubted advantage is the reduction in the animal’s energy consumption: it spends only 15% of the energy that it would need to maintain normal body temperature in winter when awake. For 4-7 months they can exist due to accumulated reserves of fat and other nutrients.

Disadvantages: the possibility of dying from desiccation or exhaustion, the development of atrophy of the skeletal muscles, decreased immunity, in extreme cases low temperatures freezing and defenselessness against predators are possible.

Research by scientists hibernation mechanisms have a practical purpose: a formula of chemicals that immerse animals in a long hibernation iosis, will allow surgical operations to be performed, cooling the human body to the required temperature.

Sources: A. Borbeli “The Secret of Sleep”, “Three Thirds of Life” by A.M. Wayne, ru.wikipedia.org, Collier's Encyclopedia (Open Society. 2000).

Following beautiful video about birds that do not go into suspended animation in winter, but travel thousands of kilometers to get to warm countries:

Elena Valve for the project Sleepy Cantata

Once upon a time there were many brown bears in nature. Among them, families and groups stood out. Now there is only a division based on geographical location. Many people have an idea why a bear hibernates. But it makes sense to figure out whether all “clubfooted” people are prone to this? Perhaps in the southern regions there are animals that are awake all year round?

Distinctive Features

The brown bear is a large animal. Individuals living in the European part of the continent reach 1.4 - 2 m and weigh up to 400 kg. Bears in Kamchatka and Alaska can weigh up to 1000 kg. Such a giant, standing on its hind legs, has a height of up to 3 m.

The body of a brown bear is powerful. The head is massive, with small eyes and ears, high withers, thick fur, wide set and short tail - typical appearance brown (up to 10 cm long) do not hide on powerful five-toed paws.

Bears are plantigrade animals. If necessary, on short time reach speeds of up to 40-50 km/h. Water obstacles can be overcome with ease. You won't be able to hide in a tree from an angry bear.

Their diet is dominated by plant foods (¾). First of all, these are berries, acorns, nuts, roots and tubers of plants, as well as their succulent stems. It is this feature that is decisive in understanding why a bear hibernates during harsh times. As for coloring, the main color is brown. The shade of the coat can differ significantly even among individuals living in the same territory (from black, fawn-gray and gray to reddish-brown).

Lifestyle

Bears define their territories and mark the boundaries with marks. It is believed that they live sedentary lives, although they can migrate in search of more suitable feeding places. Early spring they are looking for clearings where the snow melts and the ground thaws faster. During the period of midge activity, they can leave the forest thicket to open places. During spawning, they make trips to rivers to hunt for fish in shallow water.

But they cannot move to the southern regions during winter - this is another good reason for understanding why bears hibernate in winter. They lead and are forced to return to traditional habitats. With the arrival of autumn, it becomes more and more difficult to find food - you have to look for a way to wait out the cold.

The ability to fall asleep in cold weather is also characteristic of other animals. By the way, not only the winter period causes hibernation. In desert areas, small rodents can enter a sleepy state even in the summer, during periods of drought. Under unfavorable conditions, their unplanned hibernation can last until spring.

A brown bear cannot afford such a long rest. The period of its hibernation can range from 2.5 to 6 months. But sometimes it lasts longer if circumstances require it. The question of why a brown bear hibernates and does not stockpile roots, nuts and acorns for the winter is difficult to answer. Apparently, he prefers to store them in the form of subcutaneous fat - it’s more reliable and warmer.

It is necessary to clearly understand why the bear hibernates. This is caused by the only way animals can survive in winter. At the same time, it is worth noting that individuals living in southern regions with a sufficient food supply can do without seasonal sleep all year round.

It is also worth dispelling the myth about the supposed ability of bears to suck their paws and thus eat in the winter. This habit, as experts say, is associated with the peculiarity of the molting of the soles of bears. it gets off them during its stay in the den. This occurs due to lack of movement and load. Young and delicate skin on the soles freezes. Therefore, bears warm it with their breath and lick it with their warm tongue.

Connecting rods: why the bear hibernates in winter

What happens if you wake up an animal in its den? Hibernation of bears is superficial. A disturbed animal will wake up and be able to quickly react to danger or a sudden change in conditions. As a rule, an awakened bear will look for a new den if the old one is unsuitable for sleeping.

In this case, why does the brown bear hibernate again in winter, rather than wait for spring? This is the easiest way to survive. But there are situations when, for various reasons, animals do not gain enough fat over the summer. They cannot lie in the den in this state until spring. Hunger forces them to leave the den and go in search of food. He cannot find roots, nuts, acorns and other edibles under the snow. The only way to survive is to engage in predation.

Under such circumstances, the bear decides to attack weakened animals and even predators. He is ready to take prey from wolves and foxes, there is carrion. It can enter surrounding settlements, destroy apiaries, and attack livestock and people. A meeting between a person and a hungry connecting rod bear can end sadly - this must be remembered and understood.

(hibernation) is a slowdown in vital processes and metabolism for a certain period of time. At the same time, body temperature decreases, breathing and pulse slow down, nervous activity and other body processes are inhibited.

During the winter, many animals find it difficult to find food for themselves and they choose this method of survival in order to survive until warmer days. Before hibernation, they feed with a vengeance, thus accumulating the energy they need during the hibernation period.

Animal hibernation is a perfect way, invented by nature, to save its offspring from conditions unusual for their normal life.

There are a huge variety of animals that hibernate in winter. Most of them live in temperate climate, characterized warm summer And cold winter, during which it is difficult for them to find food for themselves. Some of them will be discussed below.

Bear

The most famous member of the animal kingdom that hibernates in winter is the bear. It should be noted that its hibernation is considered shallow. It's more like a nap. Its body temperature does not become as low as that of other animals in true hibernation. The same goes for his heartbeat. This means that if you try to touch him in this state, he can wake up very quickly and immediately begin a fight. Bears are animals that hibernate in winter without losing their orientation in space and time.

However, bears can remain in this state without touching food or water for seven months. This becomes possible thanks to the fat accumulated over the summer, the layer of which can reach 15 cm. The bear in summer period He doesn’t just eat food, he overeats savagely. This process is somewhat reminiscent of fattening a pig, and is also equal to 30 full meals eaten per day by a person.

Common hedgehog

Hedgehogs are engaged in active life from 4 to 7 months, dividing this period into three stages: awakening, reproduction of offspring, preparation for long hibernation. With the onset of cold weather, they hibernate. The main reason for this phenomenon for hedgehogs is lack of food, the secondary reason is cold. They do not store food for the winter because they feed on insects. Therefore, they have to store up fat in the summer season and hibernate in the winter. In addition, their thermoregulation is imperfect, which leads to the need for prolonged winter torpor.

Gophers

In terms of hibernation, gophers are among the animals that are in a state of torpor for the longest time, to be more precise, up to nine months a year. Moreover, the cyclical nature of their stay in this state is noted. A short active period of life alternates with long-term torpor, after which active life begins again. It is replaced by prolonged hibernation, etc. This feature of their body is hereditary.

frogs

Frogs, in comparison with animals that hibernate or are in torpor, can be in a state of deeper suppression of vital activity - in suspended animation. At the same time, their metabolism slows down as much as possible, and survival is carried out at the expense of internal energy reserves. Depending on the species, frogs can hibernate in burrows they have dug, in crevices that they themselves fill with leaves, and also at the bottom of reservoirs.

Bats

In winter, bats, having found a suitable shelter, fall into torpor for 7-8 months. Their sleep is interrupted every 2-3 weeks by awakenings to search for warmer shelter and matchmaking, since winter for these animals is the period of reproduction.

Animals that hibernate also include rodents, Australian echidnas, Chilean opossums, hamsters, dormice, chipmunks and badgers.

Greetings, dear friends, on the pages of the ShkolaLa blog! My name is Evgenia Klimkovich and I invite you for another portion of healthy and interesting information, which will certainly be useful to you for preparing projects on the world around you.

Today we’ll talk about which animals hibernate in winter.

Let's try to make our own list, TOP 5 sleepy animals.

We learn that winter sleep can be different.

And let's figure out why animals generally go to sleep for so long? This is probably where we'll start.

Lesson plan:

Why sleep for so long?

There are two main reasons for this:

It's getting cold.
Getting hungry.

Animals that love to sleep live mainly in those places on earth where it gets quite cold in the winter. Where snow falls and because of this the food that animals eat disappears. They also exist in Russia.

And here the question arises. Why then don’t all animals fall asleep? For example, hares gallop through the forest all winter in white fur coats. Or foxes, they don’t go to sleep either.

Let's think about it.

What do hares eat? In summer they eat herbs, berries, seeds, and do not refuse mushrooms and young shoots of bushes.

And in winter, when all of the above cannot be found under the snow, bunnies eat fallen tree branches, stems sticking out from under the snow, gnaw the bark from the trunks and chew dry grass that they manage to dig up.

Well, foxes, they hunt both in summer and winter. The same hares, birds, mice, sometimes raid chicken coops.

In addition, these animals change their coats to warmer ones closer to winter. And therefore, although it is difficult for them to survive in winter, it is possible.

But the poor frog doesn’t even have a fur coat in the summer, so she can’t survive the cold. So I have to go to bed.

Some animals are able to travel long distances in search of food. So, for example, they do reindeer when the moss lichen, the main food of deer, runs out in their habitats.

What about hedgehogs, for example? By the time they run somewhere on their short legs, winter will be over.

Migratory birds escape cold and hunger by flying to warmer regions.

And if gophers could fly, then they too would fly after the birds. But, as you know, they cannot fly. And so they also have to hibernate.

Did you know that animals sleep differently?

Types of winter sleep

Animals are all different and therefore they sleep differently in winter too. There are three types of winter sleep:

Hibernation.
Numbness.
Anabiosis.

Hibernation

Hibernation is scientifically called “hibernation.”

Deep sleep, during which all processes in the animal’s body change:

heartbeat and breathing slow down;
body temperature decreases;
Nervous activity is inhibited.

Numbness

An animal that has fallen into a stupor is completely motionless, its all vital signs. And often the animal’s body temperature is only slightly different from the ambient temperature.

Anabiosis

"Cryptography" comes from the Greek word meaning "return to life"

Compared to torpor and hibernation, anabiosis is a deeper slowdown of all life processes. An animal in a state of suspended animation can easily be mistaken for dead, since its heartbeat and breathing are so slow that they can only be detected using special equipment.

And now I present the top 5 well-known animals that hibernate. Let's start with the well-known brown bear.

Brown bear

From the younger group kindergarten We all know that a bear sleeps in a den in winter and sucks its paw. Is this really true? Well, about the paw, of course, this is fiction. But about sleep – it’s true.

Moreover, the bear begins to prepare for its long sleep in the summer. He switches to an enhanced diet in order to accumulate more subcutaneous fat, the layer of which can reach 10 cm by autumn. There should be enough nutrients, because during hibernation bears do not eat or drink.

Sweet bears eat wild berries, roots, wild bee honey. They love to eat fish or ants, as well as small animals.

But accumulating fat is not the only concern of bears before bed. You still need to find a place to hibernate and set up a den. For dens, bears choose places that are dry, warm and protected from possible invasion by enemies.

A bear can make a den:

between tree roots;
in a hollow;
in an old anthill;
in the dugout he dug.

And sometimes a bear builds a riding den from tree branches, it resembles a large nest. In order to sleep comfortably and warmly, the bear lines the bottom of the den with moss and spruce branches.

When does a bear go to bed? Between November and December. The further north and colder the bear’s habitat, the earlier it climbs into its den.

This is interesting! Pregnant bears and mothers with cubs go to bed first.

Well, bears wake up between the end of February and April.

Bears' sleep is not that deep. In the den he turns over from side to side, you can wake him up. The she-bear wakes up on her own in winter in order to give birth to cubs and feed them in a cozy and safe den with her milk.

During hibernation, a bear's body temperature decreases slightly, by only 5 degrees. And the heart beats at a speed of 10 beats per minute.

It also happens that a bear does not have time to prepare for winter. Doesn't dial required stock fat or does not set up a den. Then he doesn’t hibernate, he just walks through the forest all winter, hungry, angry and very dangerous. This bear is called a connecting rod. And it’s better not to meet with him.

Do you want to know which animal other than the bear falls into winter sleep? Then read on)

Hedgehog

Do hedgehogs really hibernate? Absolutely right, they are falling! And not just hibernation, but real numbness. At the same time, their body temperature drops from the usual 34 degrees to 1, and the number of heartbeats is reduced to a minimum.

In order to understand why a hedgehog sleeps in winter, you need to get acquainted with its diet. So, our prickly friend’s favorite dishes are:

worms;
slugs;
snails;
frogs;
beetles;

These are mainly insects that the hedgehog cannot store for future use, such as squirrel nuts.

Hedgehogs can also eat snakes, even poisonous ones. The poison has no effect on them. Scientists still cannot understand why this happens.

And due to the fact that there is no food for hedgehogs in winter, they go to bed. But first they carefully prepare for this. The hedgehog, like the bear, tries to eat more in order to accumulate fat, and looks for a hole in some secluded place.

The hole must be about 1.5 meters deep. Otherwise it will be very cold there and the hedgehog will simply freeze. The animal lines the bottom of the hole with dry grass and compacts it thoroughly. Then it blocks the entrance to the hole, curls up into a ball and falls into a stupor. The colder it gets outside, the deeper the hedgehog's torpor.

In this state, a hedgehog can stay up to 240 days without food or water. Well, when it gets warmer outside in the spring, the hedgehog comes out of his stupor and gets out of his hole.

Bat

Another big lover of insects, which is forced to hibernate in winter due to lack of food and low temperatures.

Some species of bats, like migratory birds, fly to warmer climes, but most species remain to winter where they hunt in the summer.

For their winter sleep, bats choose places where the air temperature does not drop below 7 degrees even in winter. Where the humidity is quite high and there are no drafts. These can be caves, mines, dungeons, tree hollows, attics and basements of houses.

The bat sleeps, tightly clinging its paws to the ceiling or wall.

Body temperature during this period decreases significantly, as does the number of heartbeats per minute. Moreover, if it becomes too cold in the wintering place, or if someone disturbs the animals, they emerge from suspended animation and move to a more suitable place, where they fall asleep again.

Mice can remain in this sleepy state for up to 6-8 months.

This is interesting! It is not easy for bats to find a place to hibernate. Therefore, they remember good places where they have already spent the winter and return there again.

Frog

How do well-known frogs survive the harsh winter? It is impossible to give one answer here. There are about 500 species of frogs. And they winter differently.

The bullfrog, for example, sinks to the bottom of the lake and buries itself in the mud. It sits like that all winter. Her body temperature drops greatly. She doesn't eat, drink or even breathe oxygen.

The question arises, how does a frog breathe? And why doesn't she die without air? The fact is that in this state the frog does not need to waste energy, and therefore it practically does not need oxygen. And the small amount of oxygen that is needed penetrates through the skin.

The bullfrog emerges from suspended animation when the ice on the surface of the lake melts. She just couldn't get out before. Well, since lakes rarely freeze to the very bottom, the frog stays all winter in a kind of thermos, which does not allow it to freeze completely.

But not all frogs spend the winter in water. There are also those who make their “bed” on the shore. Under snags, under stones. When winter comes, these frogs go into deep suspended animation. It even happens that their body temperature drops below zero degrees.

This animal looks just like a dead one. But if you warm the frog, it will come to life.

Gopher

The one who loves to sleep is the gopher. A relative of the squirrel. In winter, he falls into torpor and can remain in this state for more than 6 months. But the most interesting thing is that if in the summer the gopher does not have enough food, then it can go into summer hibernation.

Summer hibernation is scientifically called “estivation.”

Gophers feed on roots and leaves of plants, grasses, grains, and seeds.

Gophers are excellent diggers. They dig holes up to 3 meters deep. Well, the length of such a mink can reach 15 meters. A nest is made in the mink, which is lined with grass and leaves. In this nest, gophers give birth and sleep in winter.

The animals sleep sitting on their hind legs, they lower their heads to their bellies and cover themselves with their tails. And they sleep very deeply. Neither a loud sound nor slight warming can wake them up.

A sleeping gopher is completely cold to the touch, its feet turn white. If in a state of wakefulness the gopher inhales 150 times per minute, then in a stupor it is only 1 time in 8 minutes. And the body temperature drops very much, sometimes down to – 3 degrees.

During hibernation, gophers lose up to half their weight. Therefore, animals must eat well before a long sleep in order to accumulate more fat and muscle mass. Otherwise, you may not survive the winter.

What can you add to the project to make it even more beautiful? For example, poems about wintering animals. You can hear some of them in one of the episodes of the “Visiting Dunyasha” program, which I found for you.

There is much more interesting for you on the blog. For example, in you can get to know the owner of the mountains better - snow leopard, and you will find a lot of fascinating information about the cockchafer.

That's all for today!

I wish you a fun learning experience!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

It's no secret that bears sleep in winter. This is perhaps one of the most famous and interesting features bears. But why do bears sleep in winter, and how exactly does this happen?

Reasons for bear hibernation

Not all bears hibernate, but only those that live in regions with long, cold winters and a lot of snowfall.

The main reason for bears' winter sleep is related to their diet. The fact is that bears are extremely large animals, the weight of some representatives reaches 700 kg.

Such a huge animal requires a lot of food. Despite the fact that the bear is practically omnivorous, with the onset of cold weather it has great difficulty in obtaining food. It is almost impossible to find plant food under a layer of snow, and hunting in winter is much more difficult.

In addition, in cold weather, energy costs increase significantly, because the animal also needs energy for heating.

That is why, with the onset of cold weather, bears choose a safe place and go to bed. Hibernation can last from 4 to 6 months. All this time, the bear subsists on subcutaneous fat reserves accumulated over the summer.

During hibernation, the animal's body works differently. Energy requirements are reduced to a minimum, the breathing rate changes, which allows you to save air in the den. In this state, a bear can sleep for many months without endangering its life. In the dens of female bears, cubs appear, which spend the winter with her, feeding on her milk.

Bears are very light sleepers, so even the slightest noise can wake them up. A sleep-deprived, hungry bear is a serious threat to forest peace. Crank bears are very aggressive and ferocious.

Not all types of bears sleep in winter. For example, among Arctic polar bears, only pregnant bears and females with cubs hibernate - their energy costs are very high. The males remain awake, eating nutritious seal fat and meat.

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I think that even my youngest readers know that there are animals that sleep all winter. These are a bear and a badger, a hedgehog and a turtle, snakes and frogs. Insects also sleep in winter (remember, last year we already received an answer to the question of where flies spend the winter?), rodents, and many fish. But the hare doesn’t sleep. And the deer doesn't sleep. So why do some animals need to sleep in winter and others don’t? Today we will figure it out with you.

Many children (and adults) believe that animals sleep in winter to wait out the cold. This is only partly true. Of course, there are cold-blooded animals - these are those animals that cannot maintain their body temperature themselves. In order to lead an active lifestyle, they need heat to come from outside. Such animals include reptiles, amphibians, fish and all invertebrates: insects, mollusks, worms, etc. As soon as the air temperature drops to a certain point, they all hibernate.

But they are not the only ones sleeping. In winter, some warm-blooded animals also sleep: many rodents, hedgehogs, badgers, raccoons. And, of course, the most famous of the dormouse is the bear.

Exercise.

In this picture I drew different animals. Ask your child to name which ones are warm-blooded and which ones are cold-blooded.

If everything depended only on the cold, then why doesn’t he sleep in winter? polar bear, although it lives in a much colder climate than the brown one? We already once studied why polar bears do not freeze in winter: they have a number of adaptations to keep warm. But the brown bear also has its own adaptations to avoid freezing. Moreover, sleeping is not much warmer for him than not sleeping. After all, in winter bears sleep not only in closed dens dug in the ground (which are called ground), but they also use high-mounted dens, i.e. simply holes in which they sleep right under the snow. And they are probably cold there.

This means that something else besides the cold causes animals to hibernate in winter. How else does winter differ from other seasons, besides low air temperatures? Lack of vegetation. There is no grass, no berries, no flowers, no green leaves. Therefore, herbivores that primarily fed on them experience great difficulties with nutrition.

Ask your child what wild animals he knows (domestic animals are not counted here, since humans take care of their nutrition) that feed on vegetation? These are deer, elk, roe deer, wild boars and other ungulates. These are many species of birds and fish. These are rodents. And if large herbivorous animals can somehow get food for themselves: by digging it out from under the snow, switching to feeding on branches and bark of plants, moss, etc., then small animals cannot survive without plants. That's why they hibernate. In winter, many rodents sleep: gophers, hamsters, marmots, and dormouse.

And since in winter there is not only no vegetation, but also small rodents, frogs, worms, mollusks and other small living creatures, as well as insects, then the animals that feed on them have nothing to eat: many birds, hedgehogs, shrews, bats, badgers, raccoons -gargles and bears. And they have to either move to warm regions where insects do not sleep (as birds do), or hibernate (as hedgehogs do). And some do this at the same time: for example, insectivorous bats - leather bats. They are typical inhabitants of urban buildings and are distributed over a vast territory, including all continents except Antarctica. With the onset of winter, the kozhas migrate from northern territories, flying like birds to the south. And there they hibernate in caves, attics and other secluded places.

Cards, you can use them to complete several tasks. 1. Invite your child to take a card with his favorite animal and select from the other cards those that show what he eats. For example, a fox eats eggs, mice, hares, snails, lizards, and beetles. 2. Invite your child to find and make different food chains - who eats whom. For example, "grain-mouse-hedgehog". By the way, animals hibernate not only from cold, but also from heat. In addition to winter, there is also summer hibernation. Those animals that cannot maintain the body temperature they need in conditions of high temperature and drought fall into it. These are some fish and amphibians, as well as mammals. For example, the African hedgehog and the tenrec (Madagascar insectivorous animal). The sandy gopher, which lives in Central Asia, Kazakhstan and the Volga region. The most amazing thing is that his summer hibernation turns into winter hibernation without interruption! And he wakes up only in February-April. That is, this gopher does not sleep only 2-4 months a year!

Hibernation comes in different forms.

Very few animals sleep in deep sleep, which cannot be interrupted by anything: these are bats, hedgehogs, gophers, hamsters, jerboas, dormice, and marmots. Are you familiar with the expression “Sleeps like a groundhog”? They say this precisely because it is almost impossible to bring a marmot out of hibernation. In such deep hibernation, the animal’s metabolism decreases, the temperature drops to near-zero (from +5 to -2 in gophers, according to some data), the heart begins to beat almost 10 times less often than usual, and the breathing rate decreases 40 times. All this is necessary so that the animal spends as little energy as possible. It, like a computer or phone that “goes” into standby mode, lives in economy mode. This state is actually called true hibernation.

Thus, we can conclude that hibernation is necessary for animals as a seasonal adaptation to unfavorable environmental conditions. Some animals switch to other food, while others hibernate.

Assignment: Look at the picture with a winter forest and find all the animals in it. Which one is hibernating? (For the picture to open in full size, it must be opened in a new window by “clicking” on it with the right mouse button). If desired, this picture can be printed and given to the child to color.

Hibernation is a hereditary reaction of living organisms to temperature changes, formed millions of years ago.

It was possible to survive these changes only by learning to regulate your own temperature during the onset of cold or heat. The life of the animal depended on the ability to sleep through difficult times.

This is how nature took care of its creatures - this skill will be useful to them if the climate on Earth changes again.

Hibernation is characterized by a slowdown in the metabolism of animals during periods when food is inaccessible, which means it is impossible to maintain activity and a high level of metabolism.

Preparing for hibernation

In preparation for a long sleep, animals accumulate reserves of nutrients, their weight due to fat can increase by 40%, and also store food. Nutrition during the preparatory period is rich in fatty acids, which increase immunity and resistance to prolonged torpor.

Rodents spend the winter in families or alone. The burrows they dig can stretch three meters or more inward. They store grains, nuts and seeds to maintain vitality.

Animals are divided into:

Endothermic, maintaining thermoregulation using internal resources. These include all warm-blooded organisms: mammals, birds.
Ectothermic, their temperature depends on the environment. These include cold-blooded organisms (reptiles, amphibians, fish).

Types of hibernation by duration:

Daily allowance(in bats and hummingbirds).

Seasonal- winter (hibernation) or summer (estivation).

Winter (hibernation) hibernation is not a uniform state and is interrupted for short periods of “warming up” of the body: body temperature rises briefly and energy exchange increases. The body temperature usually drops to 10°C or lower. In long-tailed ground squirrels it drops to 3°C. Metabolism is 5% and sometimes slows down to 1% of normal.

Irregular, in squirrels and raccoon dogs, when unfavorable conditions occur suddenly.

By the way, a person can also suddenly fall into stupor, but at the same time retain consciousness. This is how the difficult manifests itself mental disorder motor function.
why do animals fall

Hibernation

Winter is a difficult experience for many animals. Migratory birds travel enormous distances to get to warmer climates. Animals that cannot leave places with a cold climate adapt to the change of season in their own way: they plunge into a sleep-like state.

Crucians and carps burrow into the mud. Bats sleep in caves for six months, hanging upside down.

Aestivation

Some inhabitants of the tropics also tend to fall asleep for long periods: African hedgehogs sleep for about three months, and the insectivores of Madagascar for about four.

Periodic awakenings.

Some animals wake up from sleep from time to time. Scientists do not know exactly the purpose and reason for this behavior. Awakening can last from several minutes in small organisms to several hours in large ones.

Physiology of hibernation

The dalliya fish, a rare warm-blooded fish, falls asleep when the water bodies of Chukotka freeze through. If a dallia frozen in a piece of ice is placed in warm water, then as soon as the ice melts, the fish will come to life. Thanks to the unique glycerin-like impregnation, ice crystals that can rupture cell membranes do not form in dahlia tissues.

The hypothermic state in everyone else is manageable. Brain regulators, led by the tireless hypothalamus (the part of the brain responsible for the constancy of the internal environment of the body), turn on fat heating in a timely manner so that the body temperature does not fall below a critical level.

Metabolism during hibernation, it decreases in animals to 10-15% of the norm.

Gas exchange– decreases by 10 times. The hedgehog, curled up into a ball, takes a subtle breath just once a minute.

Brain activity is stored only in the hippocampus, a section adjacent to the hypothalamus.

Interesting fact:

Most of them hide in their shelters and support their existence from the food and fat reserves they have collected for this occasion.

A bear's consciousness does not turn off during hibernation; it is easy to wake him up.

Pros and cons of hibernation

An undoubted advantage is the reduction in the animal’s energy consumption: it spends only 15% of the energy that it would need to maintain normal body temperature in winter when awake.

For 4-7 months they can exist due to accumulated reserves of fat and other nutrients.

Disadvantages: the possibility of dying from desiccation or exhaustion, the development of atrophy of the skeletal muscles, decreased immunity, freezing at extremely low temperatures is possible, defenselessness against predators.

Sources: A. Borbeli “The Secret of Sleep”, “Three Thirds of Life” by A.M. Wayne, ru.wikipedia.org, Collier's Encyclopedia (Open Society. 2000).

The following beautiful video is about birds that do not go into suspended animation in winter, but travel thousands of kilometers to get to warm countries:

Elena Valve for the project Sleepy Cantata