In winter it is cold and many animals cannot find food. So that they can survive the cold season anyway, they have developed different survival strategies. One of them is hibernation. In this article you can find out what this is all about and who keeps hibernation.

Frozen animals look dead

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. What is hibernation?
  3. Which animals hibernate?
  4. frequently asked Questions

    5. the essentials in brief

    • Winter torpor only occurs in cold-blooded animals, i. H. in species whose body temperature depends on ambient temperatures
    • characteristic of insects, snails, amphibians and reptiles; Pisces, on the other hand, are usually awake in winter
    • Body temperature and other vital functions such as B. Respiration and heart rate are greatly reduced
    • Death-like condition, waking up from hibernation is not possible (only if the ambient temperature increases)
    • Frost is deadly if it lasts for a long time and the hibernating animals have no frost-proof shelter

    What is hibernation?

    The hibernation occurs only in cold-blooded animals, i. H. in species whose body temperature depends on the outside temperature. Mammals generally belong to the group of warm-blooded animals and always keep their temperature at a constant level regardless of the weather. Insects, amphibians, reptiles, snails and others cannot do this - they therefore fall into a temperature-related rigidity as soon as the number of degrees in autumn falls below ten degrees Celsius. The body temperature of these species is - similar to the outside temperature - at a correspondingly low level. So hibernation is a hibernation strategy of cold-blooded animal species.

    What are the differences between hibernation and hibernation?

    The body temperature of frogs and other cold-blooded animals drops sharply in winter

    The differences between hibernation (which, for example, dormice and marmots keep) and hibernation (e.g. in frogs and toads) is significant. The following table shows you which features are characteristic of these two overwintering strategies and of hibernation.

    hibernation hibernation hibernation
    animal species few warm animals cold-blooded animals many warm animals
    body temperature drops sharply decreases in line with the outside temperature remains more or less consistently normal
    bodily functions Heartbeat and respiration are greatly reduced, death-like condition Heartbeat and respiration are greatly reduced, death-like condition Heartbeat and breathing remain at normal levels
    Signal to hibernate / wake up chronobiologically, independent of the outside temperature depending on the outside temperature (for most species below 10 °C) chronobiologically, independent of the outside temperature
    Waking up / taking food in between occasional brief periods of wakefulness, feeding possible in some species (e.g. when stocks have been built up) only possible if the temperatures rise again in the meantime long waking phases with regular food intake, shorter resting phases
    wake up possible? yes, with external disturbances no, as long as the temperatures remain below the critical value yes, with external disturbances
    movements occasionally possible no movements possible as long as the temperatures remain below the critical value yes, often
    problems early waking up/waking up leads to hunger due to lack of food no waking up in the cold, hibernating animals freeze to death when it gets too cold lack of food in winter

    In this context, chronobiological means that the start signal for hibernation or the signal for waking up from hibernation is not or only to a small extent determined from the outside. Instead, hibernating animals follow their internal clock, so they go into hibernation at the right time of year even when it's not that cold outside. Cold-blooded animals, on the other hand, only go into hibernation when the outside temperature falls below a critical value - for many species this is around ten degrees Celsius.

    Which animals hibernate?

    In contrast to hibernation - the animals that actually hibernate can basically be counted on two hands - many cold-blooded species fall into hibernation. Only a few of these animals, such as the honey bee, have developed other overwintering strategies. In this section we discuss who hibernates and how.

    insects

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    For example, hibernation is characteristic of many species of insects, although there are different forms between the different species.

    • mosquitoes: Only the females hibernate here in cool and damp places, the males die in autumn.
    • wasps: Only the young queens overwinter, the rest of the colony dies in autumn.
    • bumblebees: same strategy as for the wasps, only the young queens hatched in late summer overwinter
    • ants: overwinter as a colony in the subterranean part of the anthill, the aboveground, visible heap serves as protection from the cold
    • butterflies and moths: usually do not hibernate as an adult, but as an egg, larva or pupa. Adult moths usually die after a few weeks and only a few species fall into hibernation. A few species such as the Painted Lady migrate to warmer regions in autumn like migratory birds.
    • Beetle: Adult beetles hide in sheltered places, for example in tree bark and holes, wall cracks, in piles of leaves and brushwood. Some species do not hibernate at all, only their eggs, larvae or pupae wait out the winter (e.g. cockchafer).

    digression

    The special way of the bees - everything for the queen

    Basically, honey bees also fall into hibernation. However, these animals have developed a different strategy to survive the winter as a colony - and to keep their only egg-laying queen alive. During the cold season, all individuals huddle closely together and keep the temperature in the beehive comfortably warm with constant trembling. The specimens on the outer edge in particular provide warmth, if they get tired after a while, they are exchanged. The queen is always in the middle. The situation is different with the wild bees, who often live solitarily, they spend the winter frozen dug into the ground.

    be crazy

    The numerous spider species have also developed very different hibernation strategies. Some look for a warm place for the winter months and hide in the basement or in the living room, for example. Water spiders show a particularly interesting method: They hide in an empty snail shell, close the opening with their tissue and spend the winter floating on the water surface, protected. Other arachnids, such as unloved ticks, also hibernate. When the temperature drops, they retreat to their winter quarters - such as piles of leaves, mole holes, mouse nests or fox burrows.

    amphibians

    Frogs and toads are amphibians. Most species overwinter on land and need a suitable winter quarters, which protects against frost if necessary - because these animals do not survive long below zero. A typical hiding place for common toads is the compost heap in the garden, for example, otherwise the animals prefer the following places:

    • damp burrows, such as mouse or mole tunnels
    • cavities under tree roots
    • Cavities under wood or stones
    • Crevices and cracks between stones and rocks
    • Heaps of leaves and brushwood

    Some frog species - for example the common frog or the pond frog - overwinter in standing water. They dig themselves into the mud on the bottom of the pond, provided the pond is at least 80 centimeters deep - here it does not freeze even when the temperature is below zero.

    reptiles

    Many species of tortoises will hibernate if you let them

    “Animals that are allowed to hibernate live longer. This is especially true for pet turtles!”

    In addition to turtles and snakes, this group also includes lizards and other lizards. Native species such as the rare European pond turtle, sand lizard, grass snake, adder and slowworm all spend the cold season in hibernation. How long this lasts varies from species to species and also depends on the weather:

    • slowworm: spends four to five months in hibernation
    • adder: as does slowworm
    • sand lizard: five to six months
    • grass snake: around six months
    • European pond turtle: four to five months

    Incidentally, the European pond turtle overwinters on the bottom of ponds and other stagnant bodies of water, similar to pond frogs.

    fishes

    Most fish species do not hibernate, but stay awake during the cold season. How do these animals survive the winter? They sink to the bottom of the pond or - like the Schlei - dig themselves into the mud. During the winter, the water dwellers find little food, which is why they essentially feed on the layer of fat they eat up in the summer. If you keep pond fish, you should dig the fish pond at least 80 centimeters deep - better still more - so that it does not freeze to the bottom. This would be fatal to overwintering fish.

    digression

    How do cold-blooded animals protect themselves from deadly frost?

    Cold-blooded animals do not survive frost, since their body fluids also freeze and they die as a result - there is no protective mechanism in these species analogous to hibernators of the same warm temperature, whose body temperature is kept at a constant level even in very cold weather. However, insects, snakes, frogs and the like have found another way of surviving even in a light frost: they increase the glucose concentration in the blood and in other body fluids in winter so that they cannot freeze - so they practically use an endogenous antifreeze, the however, only helps with low frosts. A frost-proof winter quarters is therefore essential for the survival of these species.

    frequently asked Questions

    I found a butterfly in the living room. what do i do with him

    Moths and butterflies sometimes stray into living quarters in the fall

    As soon as it gets cooler in autumn, animals look for suitable winter quarters. In this search, they often get lost in houses and apartments. However, if you find a butterfly or a ladybug here, their chances of surviving in the heated living room are not very high. It is best to bring the hibernating animal into a cool (but frost-free!) and quiet room, for example in the cellar or in the garden shed. These insects don't survive outside either, it's simply too cold there.

    Is it true that turtles can hibernate in the fridge?

    Since turtles should keep their hibernation at a constant temperature of around five degrees Celsius, experts actually recommend overwintering in a refrigerator. However, for reasons of hygiene alone, it is not enough to simply put the animal in the kitchen fridge. Instead, keepers should either buy one specifically for the turtles or have the animals hibernate at a veterinarian. Some offer this service, which has a number of advantages - for example, that the hardy turtles are constantly monitored.

    Do pet turtles need to hibernate?

    Especially inexperienced tortoise keepers refuse their animals the hibernation or delay it as long as possible. They want to prevent the turtles from dying during the hibernation, which is considered dangerous. The opposite is the case, as the mortality rate is particularly high in hibernating specimens. Delaying the hibernation is also dangerous, since the animal's metabolism changes as early as November - if they are not then allowed to slide into the natural process, a variety of health problems arise.

    I found motionless ladybugs. Are they still alive?

    Unfortunately, we can only find out whether the ladybug is dead or just hibernating when spring begins. Since animals cannot be awakened from their hibernation and there are no other distinguishing features, simply leave the specimens you find in their place or bring them to suitable quarters. This must be cool, but not at risk of frost.

    tips

    Suitable winter quarters are important for many garden beneficials. So leave piles of leaves and brushwood in late summer, offer insect hotels or build a natural stone wall.

Category:

Animals in the garden