Producers/Hosts: Hazel Stark and Joe Horn
Winter Survival Strategies: Hibernation and Torpor
Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at mainelyphenology.wordpress.com
All our wildlife falls somewhere along a spectrum of energy expenditures: on one extreme end are the true hibernators, who slow all their body’s processes way down and stay still all winter; on the other end are the ones that stay alert and moving in order to find food to fuel their biological furnaces. Today, we’ll explore just a couple of these adaptations for dealing with winter: hibernation and torpor.