Does the badger go into hibernation? What other animals do this in the winter?

Many animals living in the temperate and cold belts of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are prone to hibernation. Since childhood, from fairy tales, we know such a character as a bear, spending in the den, sucking on a paw, the best time of his life. Which animals fall into hibernation in winter? How long can it last? Does the badger go into hibernation? Learn about this and many other things from our article.

Tens of thousands

In fact, in this state (in different variations), quite a lot of representatives of the animal world emerge, if we also take into account insects. Scrupulously counting, they can collect tens of thousands, so the enumeration alone will take many pages.

Which animals fall into hibernation in winter? Of warm-blooded animals, this is done by some mammals. Hedgehogs, bears, marmots, sony, gophers, batters, for example. Of the birds - a Californian goat. Of cold-blooded - many fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Badger

This predator is a member of the family of cuni (they include mink, martens, ferrets, otters). This is a fairly large animal. Body weight reaches over 20 kilograms, length - up to a meter, tail - over 20 centimeters. Has a thick wedge-shaped body. Muzzle narrow, elongated, with characteristic longitudinal stripes. The neck and legs are short. When walking, the animal becomes whole foot, which gives it a characteristic slanting gait. Badger nature endowed with powerful claws, adapted to digging the earth.

Where does he live?

He lives in mixed forests, taiga and mountain areas. As a rule, near water bodies, where there is a good fodder base, but on dry, well drained plots.

Badger digs deep holes, whole branched cities. Studies have shown that these representatives of the family often live in the same places for generations. Some old burrows are more than a thousand years old. These are complex structures with various tunnels, entrances and exits. There are several chambers with a dry litter, for nests. And they are located at a depth of five meters.

Does the badger go into hibernation?

Approximately in November-December, if the winter promises to be cold, the animal hibernates. But before that the badger is feeding hard. Its weight can increase to 35 kilograms. Badger - an animal omnivorous, although it is classified by predator. He eats insects, worms, frogs, small rodent mice, mollusks, lizards, as well as mushrooms and berries, nuts and grass. Hunting, the badger goes around vast territories, mining up to 50 frogs a night, a large number of worms and insects (pupae, larvae). During the accumulation of fat, he can eat up to a kilogram of food per night.

Does the badger go into hibernation? He is the only one who does this from cunies, and even then not every winter. In northern regions, hibernation begins in November and lasts until April. In the southern regions - especially if the winter is warm - the badger is active all year round and does not sleep. It has a remarkable ability of the body to store subcutaneous fat. Sometimes the fat layer can reach four or even five centimeters. Weight thus almost doubles. With the onset of cold, these animals dig themselves into capacious burrows and leave the nest more and more often. Then they fill the entrances with earth and dry leaves and fall asleep until the spring.

Thus, the answer to the question: "Does the badger go into hibernation?" Is ambiguous. If the winter is warmer than usual, then this may not happen. And then the badger still leaves the burrow in search of food. Is that not as often as in the fall.

A little about the badger's good

This animal is of great use in agriculture, eating various insect pests (among which is the notorious May bug).

Badger has a very healing fat, used in the treatment of certain diseases, in particular tuberculosis.

Meat and fur of special value do not represent. Sometimes the latter is used for the production of art brushes and hats.

Hibernation

The badger is not the only mammal that goes into hibernation. Many people think that animals sleep in winter to wait out the cold. But this is only partly true. That cold-blooded, indeed, can not maintain the desired temperature of the body with the onset of cold weather (because for an active existence they need the input of heat from outside). And as soon as the temperature of the surrounding air drops to a certain point, they fall into a hibernation.

Otherwise, with representatives of warm-blooded. If this only depended on the lowering of temperatures, then the polar bear would fall into a hibernation in winter, and it does not do this, keeping activity. But brown also has the same amount of fat and a warm coat, so as not to freeze. But in the winter he sleeps. Here, rather, it's all about the temporary lack of food. In winter, there is no vegetation, no frogs, no small birds and rodents, which these animals usually eat. There are two options: move to warmer areas or fall into a hibernation.

In winter, rodents also sleep: marmots, hamsters, ground squirrels, sony. By the way, by the way - sooner or later - marmot and badgers have fallen asleep, they determine in the people how severe the winter will be.