During HIBERNATION , an animal appears to be dead because the heart rate and the body temperature and movements have slowed down.
 Many animals that hibernate will wake up and then go back into hibernation again. Hibernation does not mean that the animal is going to sleep.
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BEARS are true hibernators. Black bears will go into their dens in the fall and not come out till spring. The tiny cubs are born during hibernation. Bears eat and eat in the late summer and fall, so that they can store fat before going to their den. When they come out in the spring, bears are very thin and very hungry. |
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BATS are hibernators. In the fall large flocks of bats find shelter for the winter. The bats hang upside down and pull their wings and tails close to their bodies to keep warm. Their temperature drops and they seem to be dead. Bats hibernate from October to April, waking up once a month. A bat likes warm buildings to hibernate in , and can squeeze through a hole the size of a thumb. |
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FROGS hibernate at the bottom of streams and ponds where the water does not freeze. Woodland frogs find shelter under leaves and dirt. During the winter they freeze but thaw out and wake up in the spring. |
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SNAKES travel to one spot where hundreds of them will hibernate together ( so they can stay warm). Snake dens can be found in rocks, burrows, or old wells and basements. |
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SKUNKS, BADGERS, and RACCOONS do not hibernate for the entire winter. During the coldest times, they enter a state where they are able to live off the fat that they stored in their bodies. When the temperature rises a bit, they do come out and find some food to eat. |
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