Wondering about hibernation.

Just a couple of days ago, poor old Punxsutawney Phill was yanked out of his den and his hibernation and held up to see if he saw his shadow.  Of course he saw his shadow and there will be six more weeks of winter.   That is just fine with me, because the weather here has been pretty nice with highs in the 70's.  I can take six more weeks of that before the hot, hot summer gets here
Correction:  I was looking at last years results and this year he didn't see his shadow so Spring is around the corner.

Oh, got off the track a little.  I was going to talk about hibernation.  What is it?  Do any of you know?  I figured it was sort of a state of suspended animation and in a way, it is.  A warm blooded animal that truly hibernates is closer to dead than alive.  Their heart rates drop to only a few beats per minute and their body temperature drops very low.  The Arctic ground squirrel cools itself down to 27 degrees.  It has actually come up with a way to keep its blood from freezing.

Everyone has heard that bears hibernate and usually have their cubs during that time.  Just in case you think that you could then sneak up on them and take a peek, if you were to come within 50 feet of her den, her heart rate will spike and wake her.  Of course I suppose that just like humans, there will be some that are extra heavy sleepers and you could enter their den while they are sleeping.  Notice that I used the word "you" and not "me".

It isn't always the cold that sparks the hibernation process  but also drought or periods of low food supply.  Mammals are not the only ones that hibernate; lizards, snails, turtles, and fish will hibernate, even in warm weather when food is scarce.  Life has many tricks that it uses to maintain itself.  I prefer to hibernate on dreary, rainy days like yesterday and this morning.  Now you all have a great day, especially if you have come out of hibernation, you hear?