Torpor is a kind of short-term hibernation or deep sleep that is characterized by drastically lowered body temperature, breathing, and heart rate. Animals can use torpor any time during the day or night to save energy, which can be invaluable in cold climates where maintaining a high body temperature requires a huge amount of energy.
Torpor is common in burrowing animals, several bird species, and a number of animals that live in cold climates. Animals such as squirrels, bears, and badgers will conserve energy in winter by going into the deep sleep of torpor. Small animals and those that have a limited food supply gain the most from the torpor. Birds need to stay light in order to fly so they have a limited ability to store body fat. Similarly, small animals just don’t have enough room to store excess fat.
When animals cannot store enough energy, entering a state of torpor will allow them to conserve energy until they can get food. Some animals have only short windows of opportunity to feed and they will also use torpor to get them through lean times. Animals that hunt at night because they cannot find food during the day will often go into torpor during their times of inactivity so they have more energy when it comes time to hunt.
There are disadvantages to being in a state of torpor that include severe sluggishness. An animal in torpor will be almost entirely unaware of their surroundings. Waking up is a somewhat lengthy process because it takes time for body temperature, heart rate, and breathing to slowly come back to normal. Because of this, animals will seek a safe place to hide such as a nest or burrow so that they are as safe as possible while in this vulnerable state. If they were attacked while in torpor they would be virtually defenseless.
Most people use the term torpor to refer to shorter times of sleep, but others will argue that hibernation and estivation – sleeping during the summer months – are extended states of torpor. The goal of these variously named states is the same: To conserve energy during times of low activity by a slowing down of the body’s natural functions in order to be more productive when activity is necessary.
Torpor is common in burrowing animals, several bird species, and a number of animals that live in cold climates. Animals such as squirrels, bears, and badgers will conserve energy in winter by going into the deep sleep of torpor. Small animals and those that have a limited food supply gain the most from the torpor. Birds need to stay light in order to fly so they have a limited ability to store body fat. Similarly, small animals just don’t have enough room to store excess fat.
When animals cannot store enough energy, entering a state of torpor will allow them to conserve energy until they can get food. Some animals have only short windows of opportunity to feed and they will also use torpor to get them through lean times. Animals that hunt at night because they cannot find food during the day will often go into torpor during their times of inactivity so they have more energy when it comes time to hunt.
There are disadvantages to being in a state of torpor that include severe sluggishness. An animal in torpor will be almost entirely unaware of their surroundings. Waking up is a somewhat lengthy process because it takes time for body temperature, heart rate, and breathing to slowly come back to normal. Because of this, animals will seek a safe place to hide such as a nest or burrow so that they are as safe as possible while in this vulnerable state. If they were attacked while in torpor they would be virtually defenseless.
Most people use the term torpor to refer to shorter times of sleep, but others will argue that hibernation and estivation – sleeping during the summer months – are extended states of torpor. The goal of these variously named states is the same: To conserve energy during times of low activity by a slowing down of the body’s natural functions in order to be more productive when activity is necessary.
