Animalia All you want to know about animals

Seasonal behavior

Hibernating animals

502 species

Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body temperature, slow breathing and heart rate, and low metabolic rate. It most commonly occurs during the winter months. Hibernation functions to conserve energy when sufficient food is not available. To achieve this energy saving, an endothermic animal decreases its metabolic rate and thereby its body temperature. Hibernation may last days, weeks, or months - depending on the species, ambient temperature, time of year, and the individual's body condition. Before entering hibernation, animals need to store enough energy to last through the duration of their dormant period, possibly as long as an entire winter.

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Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body temperature, slow breathing and heart rate, and low metabolic rate. It most commonly occurs during the winter months. Hibernation functions to conserve energy when sufficient food is not available. To achieve this energy saving, an endothermic animal decreases its metabolic rate and thereby its body temperature. Hibernation may last days, weeks, or months - depending on the species, ambient temperature, time of year, and the individual's body condition. Before entering hibernation, animals need to store enough energy to last through the duration of their dormant period, possibly as long as an entire winter.

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Brown Bear

The Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of Brown bears are called Grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is known as the...

Polar Bear

Ursus maritimus

The Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a hypercarnivorous bear found within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear species, as well as the largest extant land...

Water Moccasin

Agkistrodon piscivorus

The Water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus) is a species of venomous pit viper. It is one of the world's few semiaquatic vipers (along with the Florida cottonmouth) and is native to the southeastern United States. As an adult, it is large and...

American Black Bear

American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on...

Raccoon Dog

Nyctereutes procyonoides

The Common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is a canid indigenous to mainland East Asia and northern Vietnam. Despite its name, its closest relatives are the true foxes, and not the American raccoons. Among the Canidae, the Raccoon dog shares...

Groundhog

The groundhog (Marmota monax) is a lowland rodent of North America. It was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. These adorable animals play an important role maintaining healthy soil in woodland and plain areas. They are...

Common Snapping Turtle

Common Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

The Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large freshwater turtle. It is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific epithet...

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Macrochelys temminckii

The Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in the world. It is also the largest freshwater species of turtle in North America....

Copperhead

Agkistrodon contortrix

The copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) is a venomous pit viper endemic to eastern North America; it is a member of the subfamily Crotalinae in the family Viperidae. As a common species within its range, it may be encountered by humans. Unlike other...

Common European Adder

Common European Adder

The Common European adder (Vipera berus) is a venomous snake that is very widespread and can be found throughout most of central and eastern Europe and as far as East Asia. Known by a host of common names including Common adder and Common viper,...

Timber Rattlesnake

Timber Rattlesnake

Crotalus horridus

The Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus ) is a species of venomous, sometimes highly venomous, pit viper endemic to eastern North America. This is the only rattlesnake species in most of the populous Northeastern United States and is second only...

Common garter snake

Common garter snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

The common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis ) is a species of natricine snake, which is indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a black, brown or green...

Painted Turtle

Chrysemys picta

The Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most widespread native turtle of North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. In the traditional tales of Algonquian tribes, the colorful turtle played the part of a...

Milk Snake

Lampropeltis triangulum

The Milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) is a species of kingsnake. The subspecies have strikingly different appearances, and many of them have their own common names. The Milk snake is not venomous to humans.

Ring-Necked Snake

Ring-Necked Snake

Diadophis punctatus

The Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus) is a harmless snake found in North America. It is very secretive and is rarely seen during the daytime. It is slightly venomous, but its nonaggressive nature and small, rear-facing fangs pose little threat...

Loggerhead sea turtle

Loggerhead sea turtle

Caretta caretta

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta ), is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around 90 cm (35 in) in carapace length when...

North American River Otter

North American River Otter

Lontra canadensis

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a semiaquatic mammal that lives along its waterways and coasts. It is the only river otter that is found north of Mexico. These animals live in burrows and like most predators, prey upon the most...

Grass Snake

The Grass snake (Natrix natrix) is a Eurasian non-venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.

Slowworm

Anguis fragilis

The Slow worm1 (Anguis fragilis) is a reptile native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, a slowworm, a blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple and hazelworm. These legless lizards are also sometimes called common slowworms. The...

Eastern Brown Snake

Eastern Brown Snake

Pseudonaja textilis

The Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is a species of highly venomous snake native to Australia and southern New Guinea. It was first described by André Marie Constant Duméril, Gabriel Bibron, and Auguste Duméril in 1854. The Eastern brown...

Asiatic Black Bear

Asiatic Black Bear

Ursus thibetanus

The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia. It is unique among bears in that it is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and is threatened by...

American bullfrog

American bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus ), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, ponds, and...

Western Rat Snake

Western Rat Snake

Pantherophis obsoletus

The Western rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) is a non-venomous species of Colubridae found in central North America. Along with other snakes of the eastern United States, like the Eastern indigo snake or the Eastern racer, it is called 'black...

American Five-Lined Skink

American Five-Lined Skink

Plestiodon fasciatus

The American five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. It is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. and one of the seven native species of lizards in Canada.

Plains Garter Snake

Plains Garter Snake

Thamnophis radix

The Plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix) is a slender, medium-sized snake native to the United States and Canada. This species is mildly venomous, although its venom is not toxic to humans.

European Badger

European Badger

The European badger (Meles meles) is a mustelid native to almost all of Europe. It has a wide range and a large stable population size and is thought to be increasing in some regions. In Europe, where no other badger species commonly occurs, it is...

Massasauga

Sistrurus catenatus

The massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) is a venomous rattlesnake species found in midwestern North America. Like all rattlesnakes, it belongs to the pit viper family. Rattlesnakes receive their name from the rattle located at the end of their tails,...

Eastern Box Turtle

Eastern Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina carolina

The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is a subspecies of the Common box turtle . It is native to the eastern part of the United States and is largely terrestrial. Box turtles are slow crawlers, extremely long-lived, slow to mature,...

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Crotalus adamanteus

The Eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) is a species of venomous pit viper that is found only in the southeastern United States. It has the reputation of being the most dangerous venomous snake in North America.

Eastern Hognose Snake

Eastern Hognose Snake

Heterodon platirhinos

The Eastern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platyrhinos) is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake found only in North America. Its teeth inject a mild amphibian-specific venom into prey and also are used to "pop" inflated toads like a balloon to...

Eastern Racer

Coluber constrictor

TheEastern racer (Coluber constrictor) is a species of nonvenomous snake native to North America and Central America. "Runner" is sometimes used instead of "racer" in their common names.

Bengal Monitor

Varanus bengalensis

The Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis) is a large terrestrial monitor lizard. Young monitors, however, may be more arboreal, but adults mainly hunt on the ground. Although large Bengal monitors have few predators apart from humans who hunt them...

Saharan Horned Viper

Saharan Horned Viper

Cerastes cerastes

The Saharan horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) is a venomous species of viper native to northern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Levant. It often is easily recognized by the presence of a pair of supraocular "horns", although hornless...

Diamondback Terrapin

Diamondback Terrapin

Malaclemys terrapin

The Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a species of turtle native to the Northeastern and southern United States, and in Bermuda. It has one of the largest ranges of all turtles in North America, stretching as far south as the Florida...

Brown Snake

Storeria dekayi

The Brown snake (Storeria dekayi) is a small non-venomous species of snake native to North and Central America.

Fire salamander

Fire salamander

Salamandra salamandra

The fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra ) is a common species of salamander found in Europe.It is black with yellow spots or stripes to a varying degree; some specimens can be nearly completely black while on others the yellow is dominant. Shades...

Common toad

The common toad, European toad, or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the toad (Bufo bufo, from Latin bufo "toad"), is a frog found throughout most of Europe (with the exception of Ireland, Iceland, and some Mediterranean islands), in the western...

American toad

Anaxyrus americanus

The American toad (Anaxyrus americanus ) is a common species of toad found throughout Canada and the eastern United States. It is divided into three subspecies: the eastern American toad (A. a. americanus ), the dwarf American toad (A. a....

Smooth Green Snake

Smooth Green Snake

Opheodrys vernalis

The Smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis) is a North American nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. It is small to medium in size and gets its common name from its smooth dorsal scales. A non-aggressive snake, it seldom bites and usually...

Edible Dormouse

Edible Dormouse

The Edible dormouse (Glis glis) is a large dormouse and one of only two living species in the genus Glis, found in most of Europe and parts of western Asia. Its name comes from the Romans, who ate them as a delicacy.

Himalayan brown bear

Himalayan brown bear

Ursus arctos isabellinus

The Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus ), also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or Dzu-Teh, is a subspecies of the brown bear and is known from northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, west China and...

Russian Tortoise

Russian Tortoise

Testudo horsfieldii

The Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) is a threatened species of tortoise found only in Central Asia. Human activities in its native habitat contribute to its threatened status.

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