“They do their best to approximate a sphere,” Loren Buck explained as he removed the ground squirrel from its lab-made hibernaculum. Hibernating Arctic ground squirrels can sustain a core body temperature of just -2.9°C [26.78°F]. “It’s cold… Do you want to touch it?” Buck uncurled the animal carefully. “He knows he’s being handled, it just takes a […]
They survive colder core body temperatures than any other known vertebrate, sustaining a temperature below freezing yet not becoming frozen. They emerge from hibernation with clock-like accuracy
Laura Nielsen for Frontier Scientists – A grizzly bear chowing down on salmon, berries, ground squirrels, carrion, grasses and roots isn’t just hungry- he’s on a mission. During winter months while humans in cold climes are shoveling snow, most brown bears like the grizzly are sleeping. This isn’t ‘true’ hibernation; the bear’s temperature drops to […]