Torpor? Ever Hear of it

This morning a chipmunk’s head poked out of a hole in the snow. Isn’t it supposed to be snuggled down for a long winter sleep? Science is ever changing and research into the wintertime habits of animals has been opening new windows onto how some species conserve energy while enduring winter. Animals thought to be hibernators (i.e. chipmunks & bears) were actually somewhat alert and semi-active during the winter. Bears give birth in the winter, a feat hard to do while asleep. Thus enter torpor, a state of physical inactivity usually accompanied by a slowdown in body functions. When an animal is in torpor, it is sluggish and less alert. Sometimes its heart rate and body temperature will decrease slowing its metabolism. How long it stays this way is determined by how much body fat it has to live off and genetics. Bears can last an entire northern winter, raccoons a couple of weeks, opossums only a couple of days. Some animals go in and out of it frequently. It has been discovered that hummingbirds go into torpor nightly. This research has scientists redefining the term hibernation and discussing degrees of torpor. In the end, it is all about how animals have developed ways to conserve energy so that it can continue to live and thrive despite the lack of food. Next – Hibernation (Photo BioKIDS - Phil Myers University of Michigan)