Why don't hibernating animals feel hungry when they don't eat?

Because every autumn, hibernating animals eat a great deal. They store enough fat in their bodies as energy to meet the body's consumption needs during hibernation. At the same time, hibernating animals do not move, reduce their breathing rate, and lower the energy needed to sustain minimum life, so they do not feel hungry even without eating. So which animals need to hibernate? Let's take a look together!

1. Which animals hibernate?

Squirrels, snakes, frogs, toads, Asiatic black bears, lizards, earthworms, polar bears, snails, crocodiles, hedgehogs, turtles, bats, wasps, dormice and others all need to hibernate.

Hibernation is a state in which there is an extreme but regulated decline in body temperature, metabolism and other physiological activities, as an adaptation to reduce energy consumption.

This definition no longer includes the seasonal or daily dormancy of ectothermic organisms when they respond passively to a drop in environmental temperature. Thus, true hibernation is limited to birds and mammals.

Hibernating species can be roughly divided into two categories, namely active hibernators and passive hibernators; in the latter, such as hamsters, external factors, including photoperiod, food and external temperature, play a major role in timing this hibernation cycle event.