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• Episode 49 | Hibernation – Welcome to Wonder Land the Podcast

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Welcome to Wonderland, the podcast where I go down the rabbit hole to research things you may be curious about.

My name is Amie, and I'll be your guide on this trip to Wonderland.

Hi there, my wonderlings.

Have you missed me?

I'm sorry I've been away, but I'm not made for the winter.

And by the time spring came around, I busied myself with other things.

But this long break did give me an idea for an episode.

So what are we going to talk about today?

Hibernation.

Hibernation.

Hibernation.

Ah, yes, hibernation.

And while I made plenty of jokes that I more or less spend the not even all that bad winters here in South Carolina doing my own sort of hibernation, I began to wonder what real hibernation was really about.

I wonder.

I wonder.

I wonder.

I wonder.

I wonder.

I wonder.

I wonder.

I wonder.

I wonder.

I guess as good a place as any to start in this rabbit hole would be.

What is hibernation?

So with bears.

So bears leading up to their season of hibernation eat like gorge themselves on food and they gain a bunch of weight because they know they're going to be crawling in their den and going to sleep for a while.

And then I guess they just sleep and they naturally, their bodies wake them up as it the spring comes or the food supply starts to return.

I think, yeah, I think that's how, I think that's how hibernation works, is that during the period of hibernation they are expelling only the energy for what they have gathered enough or harvested enough acquired, and for that period of time that, that because they can't consume what.

Isn't available, they sleep their body, you know, their heart rates slow down a lot and they, they eat a lot before.

And then they like, they just rest.

It's when animals sleep through the winter, right?

Not exactly.

According to National Geographic, hibernation is actually an extended form of torpor.

Don't worry, I had to look it up too.

Where metabolism is drastically reduced to less than 5% of normal.

And most physiological functions like heart rate, respiration and body temperature are slowed way down or in some cases, halted altogether.

In some species, such as with the dwarf lemur, their heartbeats decrease from around 300 beats per minute to fewer than six.

Similarly, instead of a breath about every second, it can go 10 minutes without taking a breath.

And fun fact, this is the only primate who hibernates on a regular schedule.

So before we get into some hibernation specifics, let's first talk about what kind of creatures hibernate?

I only know two like off the top of my head.

Bears and a fat tailed dwarf lemur.

Specific.

Do you know any bumblebees?

Bumblebees?

Did you guys google?

No.

Bears and honey badgers.

Bears, squirrels.

I guess in some places squirrels do.

Alligators, hippopotamuses, elephants.

You're just making stuff up.

Yep.

Guys, prepare to have your minds blown.

It's not the animals you may think of.

And that's because many of those animals aren't true hibernators, but instead enter a state of torpor, or a state of physical, mental and metabolic inactivity that we just mentioned.

So the big one bears is not on the official list, although seemingly most scientific entities will allow for torpor as a type of hibernation.

But because the scientific definition of hibernation requires that the body temperature drop often close to ambient temperatures and a bear keeps its body warm in case it needs to rouse due to danger, bears and honestly, most animals you probably think of are not true hibernators.

So which animals hibernate for real?

Ever wonder why the groundhog is the animal we seek to determine if an early spring is coming.

This is no doubt due to the fact that groundhogs are true hibernators, allowing their fat reserves to sustain them while their body temperatures drop from around 98 degrees to to around 40 degrees.

Groundhogs are not the only rodents that are true hibernators, and maybe we'll learn in a future episode how they got picked to forecast our weather.

But bats and other rodents are also true hibernators.

Some examples are the brown bat, an arctic ground squirrel, the latter of whom can reduce its body temperature to less than the freezing point of water, around 27 degrees.

I'm sure you've also noticed the lack of bugs during the coldest months of the year.

So perhaps insects also hibernate.

The answer to that is like the bears, we may think of it as hibernation, but really it's a different thing.

Insects do not hibernate, but they do enter a state called diapause, which is a form of dormancy.

This is essentially a defense and survival mechanism that allows insects to survive unfavorable conditions such as very cold temperatures, but sometimes may even occur in very hot temperatures during droughts.

And just if food supplies are scarce.

And I'm sure we've all seen pictures of alligators frozen in ponds, this is something that truly occurs.

But isn't hibernation either?

The hibernation like process for Reptiles is called brumation.

Brumation has similarities to hibernation in that the cold blooded animals who enter brumation are in a state of reduced activity, even for extended periods, but they can still respond to environmental changes.

So lots of creatures sort of hibernate.

But why do animals hibernate?

To get through the, you know, the cold and sleep.

They hibernate because of lack of resources and food supply, so.

And they're sleepy?

Yeah,.

I don't really know for sure.

My assumption is that they live in environments that typically don't produce food all year round.

So at some point they go into a gathering mode or a harvesting where they collect and eat all their food.

And then hibernation allows for them to be sustained nutritionally during a period of time where there is no readily available food.

Unsurprisingly, hibernation in all of its forms is for survival.

For many animals, the first issue they're surviving is food scarcity.

The food scarcity is in part at least high to low temperatures.

If the ground is frozen solid, it's difficult to pull bugs out to eat.

If the water is frozen solid, there can't be fish for dinner.

Plants aren't blossoming and producing nuts and berries.

Essentially, when everything around you is dormant or frozen, your species has got to adapt.

And for hundreds of species across the planet, that adaptation is some form of hibernation.

We already discussed that most creatures hibernate in the winter, although some creatures hibernate in other seasons as well.

But regardless of when they hibernate, how long does hibernation last winter?

A season?

A specific season?

Three months?

Four?

Yeah.

Three to six to 12 months?

Yes.

The whole year?

Okay.

I have no idea.

Like, are we asking specifically like how long they're actually sleeping for?

Because I don't think that's actually like five months or three months of sleeping.

I think it's.

I think that it's.

I think hibernation is mostly just not using as much energy and not consuming or as much in order to keep their.

Or not not using as much energy because they can't consume as much to create energy.

I'm going to say a month.

Yeah.

So this varies based on what kind of hibernation we're talking about and which animals we're considering.

Animals that are technically just in torpor may awaken several times throughout a period in which they are mainly inactive.

Some animals hibernate for just hours, others for days, others still for weeks and some for months.

The true hibernator, the groundhog, we discussed earlier Technically, hibernates three to six months.

The little brown bat, those guys can sleep for over six months.

Bears, who we know aren't true hibernators, can spend four to six months in torpor.

And how do these critters know when it's time to awaken?

Well, typically, their own internal clocks, in combination with environmental cues such as lengthening days and warmer temperatures, will trigger the increase in metabolic activity that increases their heart rate and body temperatures.

This rewarming requires a ton of energy and may take hours to complete.

While many animals do go through some sort of hibernation or.

Or hibernation like process, and even if I joke that I myself hibernate in winter, humans don't actually hibernate.

But did they ever.

Do you think humans ever used to hibernate?

If so, why?

Or why not?

No.

Why not?

Because we need food.

I think some humans hibernate pretty frequently.

Why do you think humans hibernate?

I think the same thing that there wasn't.

They lived in environments where there wasn't the available food source to keep their energy levels up.

So they learned to harvest what they could and then hibernate in order to make that source of.

Or make the.

Make that food last longer.

Okay, so do you think humans have ever hibernated?

No.

You want to answer?

I have a. I say yes.

Why do you think yes?

Well, we're mammals and you know, we had hair.

I don't know, man.

I just say yes.

Why do you think no?

Because we still forage for food and eat throughout the year versus storing up all our fat.

Except for me.

Believe it or not, there is evidence to suggest that early humans may have had the ability to hibernate.

Apparently, when studying some fossilized remains at an archaeological site called Atapuerca in Spain, scientists discovered lesions and other damage that is consistent with similar markings and deformities found in the remains of hibernating animals.

The scientists also observed bone abnormalities such as porous weakened bone tissue, signs of severe vitamin D deficiency, and pattern calcium loss, which are all associated with spending extended time in total darkness, like a cave, which is where the remains were found.

The researchers in this case have indicated that what likely occurred was not actually hibernation, but rather a state of metabolic suppression.

And apparently, if this is what happened, this wasn't something that was well tolerated by early humans.

Simply put, our bodies weren't designed for hibernation or metabolic suppression.

So maybe early humans hibernated, maybe they didn't.

But if you could hibernate, would you?

No, Because I need food.

No.

Why not?

Sleep.

Doesn't.

Sleep and rest really don't come natural to me because there's always something that probably needs to be done and I can't imagine an environment where I would live where that wasn't available.

Absolutely no.

Why not?

Because I like life.

Would I get paid during the cyber nation?

Because that sounds like a lot of lost work.

I think it would be like a teacher.

Be like a teacher.

Oh, then no, I'll.

I'll take the two month break.

I'll take.

I'll take the hibernation break if I don't have to sleep.

Like if I just get two months off of work.

Dude, I'm slick.

I wanna.

I wanna sleep.

But I. Yeah, I retract my answer.

I. I guess no.

If I'm not making any money and can't pay the bills and.

Right.

I'm just dead to the world.

All right.

I'd come take your home and you just be in there.

One little blanket.

I'm like under a bridge by the freeway.

Oh, she went to hibernation.

You're in a cave with another bear.

She's not a bear, she's a person.

Well, yeah, but she's gonna hibernate.

Go find the worms.

It'd be her and the bear all spooning together.

Most days I joke that I'd like to hibernate through winter, but honestly, I can't imagine missing Christmas or the occasional snowball fight or sitting with a warm beverage around a fire with my friends and family.

So in reality, I don't think I'd hibernate even if I could.

I appreciate you guys bearing with me for my creative hibernation, though.

You see what I did there?

And I appreciate you spending a few minutes in the rabbit hole with me today.

Although rabbits do not hibernate, in case you were curious.

They get fat and lazy like the rest of us and just wait the winner out.

Until next time, be safe, be kind, and stay curious.

The welcome to Wonderland podcast is copyrighted by Ami Bland and is distributed by Big Media, llc.

This podcast is recorded in and around Columbia, South Carolina.

Any thoughts or opinions are those of the hostess unless otherwise indicated.

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Be sure to check out the other great Big Media Podcast.

The All About Nothing podcast with Barrett and Zach is the OG podcast that got us all started.

Black, White and Blue in the south with Dr. Jamil Brooks and Bill Kemmler gives us a look at blue politics and a red state.

What the pod was that with Carrie, Barrett and Zach will make you laugh out loud as they watch the best and the worst of what the Internet has to offer.

Offer.

For a look at politics in South Carolina through the eyes of three young women, check out Politically Speaking, a new addition to the Big Media collection.

Thanks for listening.

She has a question for you.

She recording it?

I am.

No, she's just.

I just wanted to share a fun fact about bears.

Well, then come closer.

See.

What is your fun fact about bears?

Sun bears are one of the only bears that mate for life.

It's not about hibernation.

If I do one about mating, I'll let you know.

Do they.

So wait, do you know, do they hibernate together?

Oh, good question.

I would assume so.

Unless the.

Unless the papa bear said something wrong or didn't put the.

Yeah, if papa bear didn't put the leaf down then.

Or the leaf up after he.

Down, down, down.

If papa bear didn't put the leaf down, he's.

He's hibernating outside.

Yeah, he.

He's under the tree.

Yeah.