Why Do Animals Hibernate?

Hibernation is called “winter sleep” in which animals go into a state of inactivity due to cold environmental temperature, short day lengths and limitations of food. It is a survival strategy that animals adopt when the food availability is scarce or difficult to find during a chilly winter season.

During hibernation, animals lower their metabolic processes; it allows animals to use body’s energy reserves at a very slow rate for a long period of time. In other words, hibernation is a means of energy conservation strategy. This way, animals skip the cold and stressful seasons and come out of hibernation when there is abundant of food available and climatic conditions are moderate. Examples of hibernating animals include a variety of amphibians such as frog, reptiles like snakes, insects and mammals like bear and bat.