What Is Dormancy In Animals?

That biological period during which animals reduce their metabolism and vital functions  is known as dormancy . This process is carried out by many species and is related to climatic conditions. In this article we will explain better what it is and how it works.

Dormancy in animals: what do you need to know?

Dormancy in animals is a mechanism within the life cycle of many species, from which the organism temporarily suspends the functions of growth, physical activity and development.

Within dormancy we can find two types of synchronization: predictive and consequent . In the first, the organism goes into a stupor before the adverse conditions begin. In the second case, it triggers later, and is more common in those areas where the climate changes unpredictably.

Types of dormancy in animals

Dormancy allows animals to survive during those months when food is scarce and the temperature is very low. Depending on the species and the type of rest that the animals take, it is classified into different types:

1. Lethargy

It could be said that it is the best known technique, but not the only one. Lethargy (or hibernate ) occurs so that the animals can escape the cold and lack of food during the winter months. It belongs to the dormancy of the first type, that is, it is predictive.

Hibernating animals prepare several weeks in advance. Some eat more and others accumulate food in their burrows. This way they have enough energy or resources to get through the toughest season.

In this dormancy phase, animals experience many physiological changes, including decreases in body temperature and heart rate (in some specimens it even drops by 95%). These are some of the animals that hibernate: bat, marmot, lemur, polar bear, hare, hedgehog, squirrel.

2. Brumation

It is the process of hibernation carried out by reptiles, but it differs from “real” hibernation due to the metabolic processes involved. Hibernation begins in late autumn and before the animals eat more than usual.

During this phase, which can last from one to four months, depending on the temperature, reptiles wake up only to drink, as activity decreases significantly, and they do not need additional food.

3. Diapause

This strategy is predictive and is determined by the animal’s genetics. It is more common in insects – for example in beetle larvae – and in some mammals such as the European deer. In the first case it is reduced to the development between winter and spring; in the second it allows the offspring to be born when the climatic conditions are more favorable.

Diapause appears so that animals can survive extreme temperatures, lack of food or drought. The metabolic activity is reduced as well as the physiological needs. It is important to emphasize that this mechanism requires some specific stimuli to end: contact with water, cooling or freezing.

4. Aestivation

Finally, another type of dormancy in animals is aestivation. It is typical of invertebrate animals, including worms and snails of the genus Helix . Occasionally it can occur in lungfish.

Even q his type of dormancy occurs in response to weather conditions, but unlike the other three forms, depends on the increase of temperature or dryness of the soil. Keep in mind that some animals that breathe through the skin require a  significantly wetter habitat to survive.