What Squirrels Do to Get Through WinterĪlthough some species of squirrels have shown signs of hibernation in winter, most of them do not hibernate. Nevertheless, these little creatures nestle themselves up in larger and warmer nests that they build in the warm months to keep them warm in winter. Most people believe that gray squirrels hibernate in winter because they are seldom seen throughout the cold season. They then bury this food in the ground or in holes in the trees to sustain them in winter.Īlthough these squirrels do not need to eat or drink water to survive the winter, the stored food is just a little insurance in case they want to eat something. Instead, it has adopted various methods of surviving the cold season.įor instance, gray squirrels are known to forage in summer and autumn for food, including nuts and seeds. But some studies have revealed that this species of squirrel doesn’t hibernate in the cold season. It is commonly presumed that gray squirrels hibernate during winter. Compared to Red Squirrels, Gray Squirrels are larger and don’t have tufts on their ear tips. Since then, they have continued to thrive in British woodlands, even becoming the most common species of squirrels in the UK.
However, they only became popular in the UK in the 19th century.
Gray squirrels are commonly found in North America and the United Kingdom. In their report published on Current Biology, the researcher concluded that the findings could also explain how other animals manage to stay hydrated when in hibernation. but the squirrels drank less water during this period than they would normally drink.īut after testing the blood samples collected from the squirrels with chemicals, the researchers discovered that the creatures regulate their blood flow by removing electrolytes such as sodium and other chemicals like glucose and urea from the blood and storing them in other parts of the body (mainly the bladder). To understand the reasons why the squirrels’ blood levels dropped so significantly during hibernation, the researchers filmed the squirrels a few months before the winter season to see if they would drink more water to dilute their blood. Even when the researchers attempted to wake up the torpid squirrels, they wouldn’t drink a single drop of water. They concluded that the low concentration of serum prevented these squirrels from waking up to search for water. In this study, researchers discovered that the squirrels that remained in a torpor state had very low levels of serum. High levels of serum in the body naturally make animals and humans feel thirsty. The sample squirrels were divided into three groups: the ones that remained active in winter, the ones that remained in a sleep-of-the-dead hibernation state referred to as torpor, and the ones that hibernated but remained in a drowsy in-between state. To establish how some species of squirrels hibernate in winter, researchers in the Midwest tested blood fluids and serum of dozens of squirrels. Their hibernation is similar to that of bears and woodchucks. This allows the tiny creatures to save a lot of energy, making it easier for them to go for months without food and water. In-ground squirrels, metabolism and heart rate slow down, their body temperature plummets to almost -20☌, and their breathing slows down. Do Squirrels Hibernate? How Do They Survive? To prepare for hibernation, most of these animals, especially mammals, feed heavily in the warm months, storing excess fat in their bodies that gets them through the cold season. Others like wood frogs have natural antifreeze substances that prevent them from getting frozen. In some animals like bats, the heart rate drops from 400 to less than 11 beats per minute. From long, deep unconsciousness to light spells of inactivity, hibernation varies with the species of the animal.
However, hibernation is more profound than just sleeping for months. Aestivation works the same way as hibernation, allowing animals in hot areas to survive extreme heat, drought, and lack of food.
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