Brumation: Winter Is Coming For Reptiles

GS Paper III Science and Technology

Context:

Reptiles going in the state of brumation to conserve its energy to survive harsh environmental conditions.

Brumation

It is a dormant period for reptiles.
This process is similar to hibernation in mammals.
The timing and duration of this process differ depending on the species, age, and gender of the reptile. Typically, males tend to awaken from their dormant state earlier than females.
During this period, reptiles may
- Reptiles slow down: Their bodies work less to save energy for winter.
- Less food, more sleep: They don’t eat and defecate much (or at all!) for several weeks.
  - They move around less and mostly stay in the darkest and coldest part of the place.
  - They sometimes go outside to drink water to stay hydrated.
- Long nap: They’re not completely asleep, but they’re very still and quiet.
- Survival technique: Brumation helps them survive the cold months when food might be scarce.

Incapability to control body Temperature: Reptiles take a long nap (brumate) during the cold season because they can’t control their body temperature.
Endure Environmental conditions: They brumate so that they can avoid cold weather, and lack of food and water.

Animals	Hibernation (Endothermic Animals)	Brumation (Ectothermic Animals)	Aestivation
Consumption of food	In Hibernation, animals don’t stop eating before entering inactivity	In Brumation, animals stop eating before entering inactivity	In aestivation, animals stop feeding.
Dormancy state	It is a state of dormancy in warm-blooded animals,	It is a state of dormancy in cold – blooded animals.	This process takes place in cold – blooded animals.
Activity Level	Completely inactive; no eating, drinking, or movement	May become partially active on warmer days	Animals become inactive in the summer season.
Metabolic Rate	metabolic rate goes down but is still active	Slowed, but not as significantly as in hibernation	metabolic activity gets low due to seeking shelter in cool underground burrow.
Examples	Bears, bats, groundhogs	Snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs	snails, lungfish, Desert tortoises
Regulation of Body Temperature	Internal	External (rely on environment)	External (rely on environment)

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