What North American Animals Hibernate?

As summer reaches its end and fall is on its way, many animals will start to get ready to hibernate. Animals of all kinds hibernate or enter into a similar state in order to survive the extreme temperatures that winter brings.¹

During hibernation, the animal’s body will slow down processes and reduce body temperature so they don’t use a lot of energy.²

Check out some North American animals that enter hibernation or something similar to survive the winter:

• Black Bears – These guys enter a state called torpor, which is similar to hibernation, but allows them to wake up quickly if they need to. They’ll hide in a den and survive off their stored fat.^1&2
• Bats – Some bats will migrate and others will hibernate. Bats that hibernate will eat a ton before winter comes and store fat to live off of.^2&3
• Chipmunks – Chipmunks will gather a bunch of food and store it where they hunker down. Every few days they’ll wake up and eat, before entering back into this special state.²
• Hermit Crabs – When temperatures drop below 68 degrees, hermit crabs will hibernate. They can do so for weeks or months at a time. However, they’re at risk if temperatures drop much lower.³
• Groundhogs – These animals truly hibernate. They survive off their fat stores and will hibernate until the weather gets warm.²
• Salamanders – If they need to survive through frosty weather, they’ll hibernate, usually within vegetation.³
• Deer Mice – Deer mice tend to go into torpor like black bears do, but only for parts of the day until they become active again.¹

Check out more: How Do Mammals Regulate Their Body Temperature?