You may know hibernate as a long sleep and it is commonly done during winter, just like a polar bear. However, there are some other animals that also adapt this behavior to cope with the hotter months during summer. The hibernation during summer is known as estivation.
Similar to hibernation, these animals will lower their metabolism to be able to survive for the extended periods of time in this state. Estivation is generally much shorter, but bot of them for sure to protect animals from extreme temperatures and food shortages. Here they are, the animals that love to hibernate during summer.
- Hedgehog
Hedgehogs will lower their metabolism can live off of fat stores for up to 6 weeks. They curl in a tight and prickly ball. They usually do this when the temperature goes above 86 degrees. Hedgehogs are similar to hamster, but does hedgehog have same treatment as hamster?
Hedgehogs are primarily nocturnal and most well-known for their ability to roll into a tight ball. They do this strategy and it is dependent on the number of quills available, so many desert hedgehogs that evolved to carry less weight.
- Desert Tortoise
Desert tortoise lives in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. This tortoise loves dry weather. During summer, the ground temperatures can reach up to 140 degrees, so that it has adapted itself by using its strong forearms as well as tough nails.
It uses these body parts to dig the underground burrows to hide from the sun. Find the differences between desert tortoise and land tortoise.
Desert tortoise is herbivore as it is eating grasses, flowers, fruit, and cacti. Those are its main sources of food as well. Amazingly, it can go without any fresh water for up to 1 year as long as food is abundant. It can last longer during estivation as this animal also lowers its metabolism.
- Crocodile
Crocodiles also hibernate during the long periods of drought. Crocodiles will dig out a burrow in the side of a riverbank or lake and settle in for a long sleep that’s quickly reversed the moment the rains come back.
Many people said that crocodile is similar to alligator. However, they are not, read more about it differences between alligators.
Crocodiles are commonly found in the tropical habitats of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. They normally live near rivers, lakes, wetlands and some other saltwater regions. They are also cold-blooded and not able to generate their heat.
- Snail
Snail will hide in its shell and form a layer of mucus that can protect and keep it alive for up to 3 years.
Snails are commonly found in most gardens and popular for their shells and slime. When the weather is particularly extreme, snails generally hibernate or estivate, but not all of them do that.
During the warmer months, food and water are less abundant. To anticipate this, snails will hole themselves up inside of their shells. Snails are not social animals, so that they will remain solitary until they decide to mate.
- Gila Monster
Gila Monster weighs exceeding 5 pounds. This venomous Gila Monster is the largest lizard native to the United States.
Gila Monster, as one of the types of lizard in desert, hibernates during the extreme heat of the desert in order to regulate its body heat. It will also burrow itself in the dirt. Besides, it also can store water and nutrients in its fatty tails during these times of dormancy.
- Salamanders
Salamanders will cocoon themselves by using a protective layer of slime to stave off dehydration to survive prolonged periods of drought. They are able to survive anywhere between a week and a year in the muddy riverbed.
Salamanders are amphibians which have permeable skin that makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool and damp places. All of them have a mucus covering to maintain the moisture they require to breathe.
- Earthworms
When the soil gets really dry, earthworms go into estivation where they wrap their bodies into a tight knot. It is done to reduce the amount of surface area exposed to the soil while secreting a protective mucus around themselves.
Earthworms are essential to the environment because they regulate soil health and aerate the ground to make plants thrive.
- Ladybugs
Being one of the most colorful animals, ladybugs are generally considered to be useful as many of them prey on common agricultural pests, such as scale insects and aphids. In the summer, their main source of food are decimated by the hot sun so that they enter a state of dormancy to wait for food to be plentiful again.