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It is common knowledge that creatures such as bears and squirrels go into hibernation – a condition in which a creature hibernates during lean winter months to conserve water and fat. But the process of experiencing is less known. Like hibernation, estulation refers to a state of rest in which the animal’s metabolism is reduced. But development takes place during hot and dry periods of the year, and not during the cold season. Hibernating animals go into deep sleep, but awake animals can wake up much faster. Here are 7 animals to love.
# 7: Water Guardian Frog – A Source of Cold Drinks in the Outback
The heat and dry winds of the southern Australian desert mean that lack of dehydration can be the difference between life and death for the creatures who call it home. The water-holding frog has stumbled upon a unique way to stay moist even during the hottest hours of the day. When the climate becomes unbearable, the water frog burrows deep underground and secretes mucus, which hardens into a protective shell. This protective armor also retains a lot of water, preventing dehydration when the frog plunges into a daytime daze. The frog will appear when it rains and will bring abundance with it.
But the aborigines of Australia have developed their own methods of dealing with dryness and heat in their home. Instead of waiting for the frogs to emerge, they dig up the frogs and then gently squeeze them to release fresh water. In most cases, this is an exchange, which rather causes slight inconvenience than seriously damages the frog, and the resulting water is clear and clean.
# 6: Desert Turtle – Irrigate the Mojave Sands
The Mojave Desert may be a mercilessly dry and hot as hell, but the slow and huge desert turtle has managed to survive thanks to its unique physiology and smart approach to dehydration. These turtles activate in the summer and hibernate in the winter, and they do so by creating burrows that protect them and also place them in an environment where temperatures aren’t all that bad. As soon as the time comes to go under the water, they will close their lair with mud until they settle down for a long time.
Fortunately, they can carry quite a lot of water with them into their burrows. The desert tortoise can store up to 40% of its weight in water in the bladder, and their low activity level allows them to survive on very little food, even when they are not hibernating or activating. But these turtles also know how to plan the future. In addition to practicing these deep sleep cycles, desert turtles use their oddly shaped legs to dig holes in the sand. After the rain, they will go to these pits to drink the water that has filled them.
# 5: the four-toed hedgehog – suspected estivator
You can add the African four-toed hedgehog to a small list of known mammals. These cute and thorny creatures have become alarmingly popular on the black market as pet traders and are poached for their feathers, which are considered lucky charms. These hedgehogs also hibernate in colder conditions, but their reasons for waking up are slightly different from those of normal animals. Scientists believe that these hedgehogs do not go into a daze because of the temperature, but because of the lack of food on the hottest days of summer.
It is believed that the activation process is similar to the life process of a fat-tailed lemur – the hedgehog usually goes discouraged for only a few weeks at a time, and then the metabolism is cyclically accelerated and the REM sleep phase is accelerated. There is a large population of domesticated four-toed hedgehogs, but the fact that they usually do not hibernate or go into hibernation in captivity makes it difficult for researchers to determine their sleep patterns in the wild.
# 4: African lungfish – hiding in the mud
The lungfish has been around for 400 million years with little changes in its general physiology, so it seems fair to let it get some sleep from time to time. The ability to revitalize – along with their titular lung – is at the core of their long-term survival. It is also a rare fish that can travel both water and land. Functionally, this is similar to the process that a water-retaining frog undergoes. It secretes a thick mucus that is retained in the water and also provides protection from the outside world. But none of this would have been possible without developing some behavioral evolution early on.
These fish may have a primitive mind, but they are knowledgeable enough to bury themselves in the mud before living. Deep in the mud, these fish are unlikely to be spotted by predators and can survive the unbearable heat under layers of moist soil. Like many hibernating animals, lungfish consume their muscle mass for nutrition during this period.
# 3: Crocodile – Lair-Living Estivators
Crocodiles are cold-blooded animals, which means they tend to do well in hot conditions. But in regions like Iran, Pakistan and India, home to a unique crocodile robber, conditions are sometimes too hot. Crocodile robbers tunnel into the ground, creating burrows that regulate the temperature in the coldest and hottest months, and they usually spend their days in the burrow and go hunting at night. But during the hottest and driest periods of the month, they will squat in their dens and fall into a daze until they wait for the rain to return. Fortunately, they are better adapted than most crocodiles to survive on land or, in this case, under it.
They are not the only crocodiles that are also interested. A six-year study of crocodiles in northern Australia has shown that these creatures will retreat underground within three to four months with little or no access to water. Although crocodiles do not appear to employ any specific evolutionary tools for internal storage of water during these revitalization periods, there are at least ten recognized crocodile species known to breed.
# 2: snail – lock yourself in the house
While many creatures retreat into lairs or burrow underground for protection during the development process, snails are resilient animals lucky enough to already have a hiding place tied to their back. This is good because these little creatures need a humid environment. Moisture helps keep snails from drying out, but it is also necessary so that they can receive healthy oxygen levels through their airway. A snail without moisture will just shrivel and die, but luckily they have developed methods to help them survive in particularly arid conditions.
By creating an epiphragm – a disc made from secreted mucus – the snail can close the holes in its shell, effectively locking itself in its home. Snails often climb branches and other high ground to avoid the heat and predators before entering this state, and they are very effective at circulating moisture through the shell, preventing anything from leaving. The average snail will sleep for several days, but this is only a small part of what they are capable of. Some snails can become numb for up to three years if conditions warrant.
# 1: the fat-tailed lemur is the world’s first mammal
The fat tail of this lemur serves an important purpose – supporting its nutrition during its incredibly long resting phases. Because these primates often remain dormant for periods of up to seven months, they are technically creatures that hibernate and wake up at the same time. In the period preceding their revival, these lemurs will gorge themselves on as much food as possible. Flowers and fruits are readily available, and the disproportionate amount of fat they produce will be stored in the tail. Before embarking on development, the tail can make up almost half of this primate’s body weight.
This breed of lemur was the first mammal found to feed, and it provided a fascinating insight into the unique sleep cycles of these animals. They take shelter in logs to soothe and naturally regulate their body temperature to suit their environment. But they don’t stay at room temperature all the time they sleep. In the numb stage, the heart rate of these lemurs can drop to eight beats per minute. But every week or two, they go into a state known as intercontinental arousal, which allows their body to warm up to an acceptable level. At this time, the fat-tailed lemur begins a phase of REM sleep.
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