Animals That Hibernate Uk
While the UK is home to 46 varieties including the striped larch and 22-spot ladybird there are about 5000 species globally.
Animals that hibernate uk. Hibernation is a state of deep sleep that various animals undergo during the cold months of winter. Many different kinds of animals hibernate from mammals and reptiles to amphibians and even some insects. Reptiles fish amphibians and insects also hibernate.
When the weather is cold and food is in short supply animals like hedgehogs bears and bats become inactive to save energy. What animals hibernate uk. It fattens up on slugs snails and other minibeasts in the autumn and spends the cold months curled up in a cosy nest of leaves and dry grass.
Some of the larger UK butterflies hibernate in various forms as eggs caterpillars chrysalis or as fully fledged adultsThose hibernating do so in the coldest winter. Fox cubs are born in March. A squirrel not a bear looking sneaky ahead of winter.
They hibernate during winter when food is scarce and have a very low birth rate. As winter draws to a close these mammals are thinking about raising cubs. They hibernate during the winter to conserve this energy ready to take flight when the weather warms up again.
Rabbits shrews mice and more seemingly disappear. Reptiles fish amphibians and insects also hibernate. All bats hibernate in the UK.
Here are some surprisingfacts about what happens to animals during hibernation. The only mammals that truly hibernate in the UK are hedgehogs dormice and bats. The others are dormice and bats.