A call to rest!
/A call to rest!
As the winter continues, the Indiana Dunes have reached a quiet serenity. Many of the birds who call our park home have made their yearly pilgrimage south. Our animal friends who have chosen to stay will have to find ways to survive the cold. Deer and rabbits will grow warmer winter coats. Squirrels and woodpeckers will stash food to keep themselves well fed when food is scarce. But some animals will choose to sleep throughout the winter months. This is called hibernation!
One of my favorite hibernators in the Indiana Dunes is the groundhog! Groundhogs spend the months of late fall to early spring snoozing in their burrows. They are an example of true hibernators, which means that they aren’t just taking an extra long nap, they are dropping their body temperature, slowing their breathing, and lowering their heart rate. These elements all help a groundhog use less energy. They will go up to 5 months without eating and only lose about a quarter of their initial body weight!
Punxsutawney Phil (Groundhog Celebrity)--AP Photo/Barry Reeger
Most reptiles will utilize a special sort of hibernation during the winter called brumation. Reptiles are cold blooded–they cannot regulate their own temperature. Because of this, cold temperatures will involuntarily send them into a deep sleep. To prepare they dig burrows, which hide them from predators and keep them at a more consistent temperature than above ground. Sometimes they’ll even snuggle together in their burrow with other reptiles. It’s like a reptile slumber party! The six lined racerunner that calls our dunes home is perhaps the champion of brumation! This tiny lizard only grows to be about nine inches long–with half of that length going towards their tail. They also have a low tolerance for the cold. Here in Indiana, adult lizards will often begin their brumation towards mid-August and sleep until mid-May. That’s a lot of sleep!
Six Lined Racerunner–Photo by Kate Valentine
Even though our schedules generally won’t change much in the winter, I still think it’s worth recognizing nature’s winter lullaby. We feel it too! We aren’t built to hibernate, but shorter periods of sunlight lead our brains to produce more melatonin. It makes us sleepier in the winter. Bright, artificial lights (like our lamps and cell phones) might reduce the amount we experience those shifts in sleep patterns, but can’t completely offset seasonal changes in sleep. If you can, it may be a good idea to bed a little earlier during the winter. You have things to do and people to see! Going to bed earlier may help you wake up with the energy you’ll need. If nothing else, I hope our need for more winter sleep can serve as a reminder that we are connected to the creatures we share the Earth with and as a reminder to be gentle with ourselves through the coldest time of year.
Wishing you sweet dreams!
Sources:
http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Reptiles/six-lined_racerunner.html
https://peedeewildlifecontrolinc.com/hibernation-brumation-and-torpor-when-animals-sleep/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230315-how-the-seasons-change-our-sleep
Alissa Miller
Environmental Education Fellow
