The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #107182 Message #2220745
Posted By: gnu
22-Dec-07 - 03:50 AM
Thread Name: BS: Where do squirrels go in winter?
Subject: RE: BS: Where do squirrels go in winter?
Rats with bushy tails.
Re chipmunks... from Hinterland, : With the onset of winter in November, chipmunks disappear below ground. At present, it is not known exactly what happens when chipmunks retire to their burrows for the winter. One view is that they immediately go into a torpid state. (In this state, the body temperature, rate of breathing, and rate of heartbeat drop to very low levels, reducing the amount of energy required to maintain the chipmunk.) Periods of torpor last from one to eight days, and perhaps longer. Between periods of torpor, chipmunks wake up and consume part of their food supply. They have occasionally been seen above ground on warm winter days. A second view is that chipmunks do not actually hibernate until their food supply has been exhausted.