What is Aestivation and Hibernation?
Aestivation is a natural state of animal dormancy, almost similar to hibernation state, but it takes place in the summer rather than during the winter. Aestivation is characterized and observed by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate with a low percentage of hunting which is a stage entered in response to high temperatures and dry conditions.
On the other hand, though it is another term there is not much difference between them both. Hibernation is also a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression that prevails amongst animals. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body temperature, slow breathing and heart rate, and low metabolic rate. It most commonly occurs during the winter months.
Hibernation is not just sleeping as you do on other normal days. When sleeping, it is found that the brain is resting for a larger part of the time than in any other state. Hibernation is defined as a sustained long period of a prevailing body temperature, metabolism, and a drop in breathing rate. It is essentially also known as almost close to a coma-like state that can't be woken up from easily. This state will highly increase your temperature and will stop your hunger feels more than any other normal day.
Biology is a subject which is classified into Botany which deals with plants and their properties and Zoology which covers all details of other living beings on earth, their living and eating habits. This is a subject that will highly help students in learning and understanding the ecosystem. Usually, students think that Biology is really a tough & vast subject with a huge syllabus structure. But the reality is that Biology is a very scoring and easy subject. If you plan the syllabus well and study all the concepts in every chapter by practicing the diagrams and equations in a separate note, you can easily revise them before your exams.
More About Aestivation and Hibernation
Animals opt for different resting pattern based on the climate and their stage of life. They actively choose this to conserve their energy, primarily during harsh and extreme weather. This sleeping pattern is divided into two subtypes, hibernation and aestivation.
Hibernation happens during the winter season. Here animals stay in dormant condition during low temperature. On the other hand, aestivation occurs during the summer season. During high temperature, animals stay inactive to save energy.
What is Hibernation?
Hibernation Definition qualifies it as a state of sleep or inactivity noted in endotherms. This process is also known as winter sleep, as it occurs during the winter or low-temperature season. Furthermore, slow breathing and heart rate characterise this state, which results in a low metabolic rate.
Among the list of animals that hibernate, rodents are considered as the deepest hibernators. Other than that, birds, insects, fishes, and mammals also undergo hibernation at different points.
Some of the hibernate animals names are bats, bear, turtles, fishes, rats, etc.
To define hibernation further, the primary purpose of an animal to select this state is to conserve their energy and save themselves from starvation during harsh weather. However, hibernation can differ based on four points, these are –
The species.
The time of the year.
Type of animal.
Tolerance power of that species.
Furthermore, hibernation can last for different time-period; it can be days, weeks, or months. However, before going into this dormant state, animals store energy and necessary food to sustain the period.
What is Aestivation?
Aestivation definition mentions that it is also a state of sleep, but it occurs in a different time. Animals go through this period during summer or hot-temperature season. Primarily, animals in the tropical region or desert areas opt for this technique for their survival.
Aestivation meaning shows that it takes place during the summer or dry season and extreme heat. Both vertebrates and invertebrates undergo this process to save themselves from high temperature and the risk of desiccation. Similar to hibernation, animals opt for this process to save energy and retain water in their body.
Moreover, aestivation examples primarily include reptiles and amphibians. However, an interesting example of this process is lungfish. It is capable of surviving in this condition for up to three years.
Additionally, aestivation in plants is also present, such as guava.
Difference between Hibernation and Aestivation
Here is some significant difference between hibernation and aestivation –
Time of occurrence
The dormant state of hibernation is witnessed in animals during the winter season. Therefore, it is called winter sleep. On the other hand, the inactive state of aestivation occurs during the summer. Thus, it is called summer sleep.
Duration
Typically, animals stay in the state of hibernation for the entire winter season. It is primarily due to the harsh and cold weather. For instance, fishes go to deep water during this period to save themselves from freezing.
However, aestivation can be of short and long duration. During this inactive state, the energy consumption in animals reduces by 70-90times compared to their active state.
Resting place
During hibernation and aestivation, animals look for two completely different places to stay protected. In hibernation, they look for warm and cosy places, so that they can stay warm. In contrast, during aestivation animal searches for cool and moist places.
Importance
Hibernation and aestivation have similar importance; they save animals from harsh weather conditions. Hibernation allows animals to stay indoors and protect themselves from freezing outside. Similarly, aestivation enables animals to remain indoors and save themselves from water loss and sustain the harsh season.
Hibernation and aestivation are two similar processes, and their purpose is to protect animals from harsh weather. If you wish to learn more about these topics, or of any other chapter of biology, you can download the Vedantu app to access more study materials. Moreover, you can also attend our online interactive live classes via this app,
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FAQs on Difference between Aestivation and Hibernation
1. What is the other name of winter sleep?
Winter sleep noted among animals is called hibernation. Here, animals find a warm place during winter and stay inactive or in rest throughout the season. Animals go through this process to save themselves from the harsh weather.
2. Why do some animals hibernate in winter?
Animals hibernate during winter to protect themselves from the harsh weather. Additionally, this process lowers its metabolic rate and save energy to sustain the winter.
3. What is the other name of Summer sleep is called?
Summer sleep witnessed among animals is termed as aestivation. During the harsh summer season, animals find a cold and moist place and stay while sleeping. The purpose here is to save themselves from the bad weather outside.
4. What's the difference between aestivation and hibernation?
These are two different stages where animals go through a lot of changes and try to adapt to seasons accordingly. Hibernation happens during the winter season while aestivation occurs during the summer season. Here during hibernation animals stay in dormant conditions during really low temperatures. And during aestivation, animals stay inactive to save energy due to hot and dry temperatures.
5. Which animal does aestivation?
Mostly it is the Reptiles and amphibians category of animals that does aestivation in those seasons. And other Non-mammalian animals that aestivate include North American desert tortoises, crocodiles, and salamanders. Some other amphibians (e.g. the cane toad and greater siren) also aestivate during the hot dry season by moving underground where they find it is cooler and more humid than on the land.
6. What kind of animals hibernate?
During the winter season some animals hibernate for even months together at a time, including bears, squirrels, lemurs, chipmunks, mice, groundhogs, lizards, snakes, and bats maybe. Some bats, however, enter torpor on a daily basis, as do some species of birds, like chickadees and hummingbirds. Torpor is nothing but a change in their habitat that involves physiological changes related especially to body temperature, metabolism, and water balance.
7. What is the difference between sleep and hibernation in the winter seasons?
Despite what you may have heard, species that hibernate don't just sleep during the winter. A hibernation stage is an extended form of torpor, a state where metabolism is depressed to less than five percent of their normal behavior. This is very different from sleep, which is a gentle resting state where unconscious functions are still performed. Some animals lose their appetite and just feel like sleeping off through the entire winter season.
8. Can humans get into a hibernation state just like other animals?
Generally, it is found and said that the early humans found themselves in metabolic states similar or even more than what animals do, and that helped them to survive for even longer periods of time than other animals, in frigid conditions surviving with limited supplies of food and enough stores of body fat that helped them cross severe cold conditions. But one research and findings have said that they hibernated and that recorded disruptions in their bone development.
