How do animals know it is time to hibernate? After studying the ways different animals prepare for or survive winter, play a matching game. During hibernation their heart rates and breathing slow down, and their body temperature drops. Animals in Winter Preschool Activities and Winter Animals Crafts. Some fish can hibernate in a … Some fish can hibernate in a waterproof mucus envelope if their lake dries up. This species of bears prepare for hibernation in different ways and to different extents depending on the area of the country they are in. To prepare for their hibernation, hedgehogs eat as much as they can during autumn, munching on beetles, caterpillars and earthworms to build up good fat reserves. Many animals hibernate in a den all winter, but some animals hibernate in the summer. Many animals hibernate in a den all winter, but some animals hibernate in the summer. Just like many animals who go into hibernation, or torpor, their heart beats also start to go slower. Create a deck of cards using blank note cards. Some animals hibernate (go into a deep sleep) so they can survive throughout the cold season when the weather is freezing and the food is scarce. For example, the groundhog's brain doesn't need the same amount of oxygen when hibernating as it does when he's awake, and scientists are trying to find a way to apply a "hibernating" principle to a human brain to help alleviate stroke damage. Stages of Hibernation in Bears By Jasey Kelly ... During this time, the bears gorge themselves on a great variety of nuts, berries and prey animals. Their metabolic process change to prepare for hibernation. Adult black bears eat between 5,000 and 8,000 kcalories per day in order to put on enough fat for their hibernation period. In order to hibernate successfully, animals need to gorge themselves on food as much as possible. Recent research suggests that it is some kind of opiate, chemically related to morphine. 2. Some animals that hibernate are reptiles and amphibians like frogs and snakes, insects like ladybugs and bees, some fish, and some mammals like bats, hedghogs, and prairie dogs. HOW DO THEY PREPARE FOR HIBERNATION? Hibernation is more varied than you might think. Groundhog hibernation is the focus of several types of studies that are trying to find ways to improve people's health. Fascinating ways animals prepare for fall Male deer fight for mates, ladybugs stuff themselves silly, the only known "hibernating" bird prepares for its slumber, and more. Animals that hibernate include bears, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, snakes, and bees. A black bear prepares to hibernate by creating a nest, eating more than usual, gaining weight and drinking almost three times as much as usual. Hibernation and migration are two concepts that children explore through puppet shows, literacy, songs, movement, and rhyme. The moment they sense fall approaching, these mammals get busy preparing for hibernation. Hibernation is a state of inactivity, or torpor, in which an animal's heart rate, body temperature, and breathing rate are decreased in order to conserve energy through the cold months of winter. Animals have advanced to become very skillful at detecting seasonal changes. 4 Minute Read Read This: The Animals’ Winter Sleep by Lynda Graham-Barber. To prepare for a long hibernation in which they don’t eat or drink, animals … When the weather is cold and food is in short supply, animals like hedgehogs, bears and bats become inactive to save energy. Hibernation is a fascinating safety measure taken by animals to survive during cold winter months. This is still a subject of research. Normally, they have 80-100 beats per minute, but by the time of hibernation, it will go down to about 50-60 beats per minute. How Does a Black Bear Prepare for Hibernation? On party day, create “dens” using chairs, desks, and old sheets and let the kids crawl inside; while they “hibernate,” they should draw a picture of their animal sleeping in its den or winter home. As the summer ends, they sense fall approaching, they start preparing for hibernation.