Many animals living in the temperate and cold zones of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres tend to hibernate. Since childhood, from fairy tales, we have known such a character as a bear, spending time in a den, sucking his paw, the best time of his life. What animals hibernate in winter? How long can it last? Does a badger fall into hibernation? Learn about this and much more from our article.
Tens of thousands
In fact, quite a few representatives of the animal world fall into this state (in its various variations), if we also take into account insects. Scrupulously counting, they can be scored tens of thousands, so just listing will take many pages.
What animals hibernate in winter? Of the warm-blooded, some mammals do this. Hedgehogs, bears, marmots, dormouse, gophers, bat, for example. Of the birds - the California goat. Of the cold-blooded ones, many fish, reptiles and amphibians.
Badger
This predator is a representative of the marten family (they also include minks, martens, ferrets, otters). This is a fairly large animal. Body weight reaches more than 20 kilograms, length - up to a meter, tail - over 20 centimeters. It has a thick wedge-shaped body. The muzzle is narrow, elongated, with characteristic longitudinal stripes. The neck and legs are short. When walking, the animal becomes the whole foot, which gives it a characteristic club-footed gait. Badger nature endowed with powerful claws adapted to dig the earth.
Where does it live?
He lives in mixed forests, taiga and mountainous areas. As a rule, near water bodies where there is a good food supply, but in dry, well-drained areas.
Badger digs deep holes, whole branched cities. Studies have shown that these members of the marten family often live in the same places for generations. Some old burrows are over a thousand years old. These are complex structures with various tunnels, entrances and exits. There are several chambers with dry litter for nests. And they are located at a depth of five meters.
Does a badger fall into hibernation?
Around November-December, if winter promises to be cold, the animal hibernates. But before that, the badger feeds intensely. Its weight can increase to 35 kilograms. A badger is an omnivorous animal, although it is considered a predator by classification. He eats insects, worms, frogs, small mouse-like rodents, mollusks, lizards, as well as mushrooms and berries, nuts and grass. When hunting, a badger goes around vast territories, catching up to 50 frogs, a large number of worms and insects (pupae, larvae) in one night. During the accumulation of fat, he can eat up to a kilogram of food per night.
Does a badger fall into hibernation? He is the only one who does this from marten, and even then not every winter. In the northern regions, hibernation begins in November and lasts until April. In the southern regions - especially if the winter is warm - the badger is active all year round and does not sleep. He has a remarkable body ability to accumulate subcutaneous fat. Sometimes a layer of fat can reach four or even five centimeters. Weight almost doubles. With the onset of cold, these animals dig in capacious holes and leave the nest less and less. Then they fill up the entrances with earth and dry leaves and fall asleep until spring.
Thus, the answer to the question: “Does a badger fall into hibernation?” ambiguous. If the winter is warmer than usual, then this may not happen. And then the badger still leaves the hole in search of food. Unless as often as in the fall.
A bit about the benefits of a badger
This animal is of great benefit in agriculture, eating various insect pests (including the notorious May beetle).
The badger has very healing fat, which is used in the treatment of certain diseases, in particular tuberculosis.
Meat and fur are not particularly valuable. Sometimes the latter is used for the production of art brushes and hats.
Hibernation
Badger is not the only mammal to hibernate. Many people think that animals sleep in winter to wait out the cold. But this is only partially true. That cold-blooded, indeed, can not maintain the desired body temperature with the onset of cold weather (because for an active existence they need to receive heat from the outside). And as soon as the ambient temperature drops to a certain point, they fall into hibernation.
Otherwise, with representatives of the warm-blooded. If it depended only on lowering temperatures, then the polar bear would hibernate in the winter, and he does not do this while maintaining activity. But brown has the same amount of fat and a warm coat, so as not to freeze. However, he sleeps in winter. Here, rather, the whole point is the temporary lack of food supply. In winter, there is no vegetation, no frogs, no small birds and rodents that these animals usually feed on. Two options remain: to move to warmer climes or to hibernate.
In winter, rodents also sleep: marmots, hamsters, ground squirrels, dormouse. By the way, by the way - sooner or later - the groundhog and badgers went into hibernation, people determine how severe the winter will be.