Biology / Unit 12 Bio 2733 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Torpor, Hibernation, and Estivation
Captions available
The idea
Torpor is a deliberate drop in activity and metabolism that helps an animal survive adverse conditions; hibernation is torpor through cold, estivation is torpor through heat and dryness.
In practice
A hibernating ground squirrel's abdominal temperature can approach freezing, while a bear's stays higher through its own dormancy.
Where people slip
Some animals use daily torpor for only part of a day, not a season.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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