What is the role of hibernating animals in the ecosystem?

Then, what do animals do when they hibernate?

Their breathing and heart rates slow andtheyallow their body temperature to drop, in some cases evenbelowfreezing. They stop eating and in many cases stopexcreting.All of these things happen so the animal can uselessenergy. Many animals hibernate in a den all winter, butsomeanimals hibernate in the summer.

Furthermore, do animals wake up during hibernation? While bears tend to slow down during thewinter,they are not true hibernators. Hibernation iswhenanimals “sleep” through thewinter.During this sleep, the animals will notwakeup when they hear a loud noise or even if they are movedortouched. While in torpor, the animal can wakeupquickly and easily.

Also to know is, why is it important for animals to hibernate?

Hibernation is an adaptation that helpsmanyanimals conserve energy by remaining inactive,greatlyslowing their metabolism and reducing their body temperaturefordays, weeks or even months at a time. Typically,animalshibernate in order to survive long periods when foodisscarce.

What are animals called that hibernate?

Animals that go into this typeofhibernation (sometimes called torpor ) includebears,chipmunks, and raccoons. Even though they don't sleep allwinterlong, they still save lots of energy because their bodiesslow downand make food last much longer than normal.