2. What Is Hibernation?
When animals hibernate, they go into a very deep sleep that lasts the entire winter. Animals can hibernate for as long as six months!

3. Animals That Hibernate
In the United States, there are quite a few animals that hibernate. Can you name some hibernating animals?
Skunk
Bat
Groundhog
Chipmunk
Grizzly Bear

4. Why Do Animals Hibernate?
Animals hibernate in order to survive the long winters. In wintertime, everything gets cold, and there is little food left for the animals to eat. So animals survive by conserving energy through hibernation!

5. How Do Animals Hibernate?
Before animals can go into hibernation, they must prepare for the time they will be asleep.
Some animals prepare by eating a lot of food, and others collect food in the fall and store it for the winter.
When animals hibernate, their hearts beat slower and their body temperature cools to match the weather outside. They try not to use any energy during hibernation.

6. Where Do Animals Hibernate?
Hibernating animals like to be in a safe place, so that predators won’t find them.
Animals like to hibernate in places that are dark and quiet. For example:
Bears like to hibernate in caves.
Gophers and snakes hibernate in burrows.
Raccoons hibernate in logs.
Squirrels hibernate in trees.
Turtles hibernate in mud.

7. Why Don’t Humans Hibernate?
Humans have come a long way since ancient times. Humans used to live out in the wilderness, with very little shelter. Sometimes, the winters got so cold that some people could not survive.
Over time, humans have found ways to conserve food, and build warm houses to help us get through the winter.

8. Fun Facts!
Animals that collect food for the winter can wake up from hibernation just to eat, and then go right back to sleep.
Some animals hibernate in the summer. This is called aestivation, and is usually seen in certain insects.
Some goldfish hibernate.

9. Non-Hibernating Animals
What do non-hibernating animals do to survive the cold winters?
Migration: Some animals leave the cold weather and move to somewhere warmer.
Adaptation: Other animals have special features that allow them to adapt to cold weather. For example, seals have a thick layer of blubber on their bellies to keep them from freezing on the ice.