the.com/hibernation
the body's loophole around winter, where heartbeats drop and biology buys time on credit.
means A prolonged dormant state in which certain animals slow their metabolism, heart rate, and temperature to survive winter on minimal energy.
from From Latin 'hibernare,' to spend the winter, rooted in 'hibernus,' wintry — itself a cousin of 'hiems,' winter. The same chilly root gave the Romans 'hiberna,' their soldiers' winter quarters, where armies, like bears, hunkered down until the world warmed up again.
- heart rate
- some squirrels drop to a few beats per minute
- no peeing
- bears recycle urine into protein for months
- body temp
- arctic ground squirrels chill below freezing and survive
- not sleep
- hibernators must occasionally wake to actually sleep
- frog trick
- wood frogs freeze solid then thaw back alive
for instance
bear black bear — sleeps 5-7 months in dens across north america, losing up to 30% body weight
hedgehog european hedgehog — hibernates october-april in europe, heart rate drops from 190 to 20 beats per minute