How snakes hibernate, how snakes hibernate

When winter arrives and the temperature drops to 7-8, snakes begin to hibernate in caves, tree hollows and rock crevices in high dry areas. During hibernation, there are often dozens or hundreds of snakes of the same or different species in clusters. Why do snakes hibernate en masse?

Because snakes are cold-blooded animals, the temperature in their body varies with the temperature of their environment. In winter, when the outside temperature drops, so does the snake's body temperature. Therefore, snakes adopt hibernation to adapt to the low temperature.

During this period, the snake does not eat or move, and only relies on the consumption of the fat stored in the body before wintering to maintain the minimum needs of life activities. In such a harsh natural environment as winter, the mortality rate of snakes that live in scattered hibernation is as high as 1 3 to 1 2. If you hibernate in groups, you can increase the ambient temperature by 1-2 and reduce water loss.

This greatly reduces the level of energy expenditure in the body, reduces mortality, and also helps to increase the chances of male and female snakes mating after the sting in the following spring. Every year in April and May, after the snake stings, it begins to come out of the burrow, the first task is to find a mate to mate, the female snake's ** and the glands at the base of the tail can secrete a unique strong smell to attract the male snake to follow. Snakes are mostly oviparous, and a few are ovoviviparous.

From the beginning of summer to the beginning of winter, snakes feed and reproduce, and the three months of the year are the busiest time for snakes to feed, and the prey is very wide, including all kinds of vertebrates. Snakes don't chew when they eat, they just swallow their food. The snake's mouth can open wide and swallow food much larger than itself.

In the process of life, snakes also have the phenomenon of molting, and they have to shed their skin several times a year. The peel of the molten skin is called on traditional Chinese medicine"Snake molt"or"Longyi"It has the effect of dispelling rheumatism. There are more than 2 700 species of snakes in the world, of which 1 4 are venomous snakes.

The largest snake is the anaconda, which lives in South America and can reach more than 11 meters in length.

The snake is an ectothermic animal. Its body temperature often changes with the change of temperature in the four seasons, and the metabolic rate and activity in the body are also closely related to the change of body temperature. When the body temperature is high, the metabolic rate is high and the activity is frequent; When body temperature is low, the metabolic rate is low and activity is weakened.

Generally speaking, from late spring to early winter, it is the best season for snake activities, especially in the hot summer and the golden autumn, snake activities are the most active, often wandering around, looking for food day and night, as the saying goes"Seven horizontal, eight hanging, nine entanglement trees"This is a vivid illustration of the fact that these three months are the peak of snake activity. However, there is a limit to how snakes like heat, especially in the scorching heat of summer, and they like to live in shade such as trees, grass, and streams. From autumn to winter, as the temperature gradually drops, the metabolism in the snake's body decreases, and when its physiological activities slow down to a certain level, it gradually enters"Hibernation"Time limit.

Ordinary venomous snakes have begun to hibernate in burrows one after another without eating, drinking, molting or molting since late November, when they often gather in dozens or even hundreds of clusters in burrows or tree cavities located in high dry places for the winter. It is not until the next spring when the flowers bloom and the ice and snow melt that they wake up from their dormant state and start a new life for the year. It takes about three months from the human cave to hibernation, and it mainly relies on the nutrients stored in the body in the form of fat to be slowly replenished to maintain the minimum nutrients of life.

When the winter temperature drops to 7 to 8 degrees, the snake begins to choose caves, tree cavities and rock crevices in the dry area as shelter and enter the hibernation period.

During hibernation, dozens or hundreds of snakes of the same or different species often gather together to hibernate collectively. The reason is that snakes are cold-blooded animals, and the temperature in their bodies changes with the change of environmental temperature, and when the outside temperature drops in winter, the body temperature of the snake also drops. Therefore, snakes adopt the hibernation Fang Zhenyu style to adapt to the low-temperature search environment;

During hibernation, the snake will exercise less and rely only on consuming the fat stored in the body before wintering to maintain the minimum needs of vital activities.

Snakes often hibernate in groups (to help maintain the temperature and humidity of the cave), and can sleep with all kinds of snakes. Interestingly, snakes are natural enemies of rats, but during hibernation, rats can bite snakes and even eat snakes, but snakes can't help it.

The severe cold of 0°C is the deadly low temperature of snakes, so when the temperature drops below about 13 in late autumn, it is necessary to find various underground caves to hibernat, and the average ground temperature in January is low to below zero, but the temperature is still in the underground meters. And the temperature change is very small, which is very suitable for the hibernation of snakes.

Because China's winter is the coldest region in the world at the same latitude, the snakes hibernate for the longest time (3 months in the south, 4 6 months in the north, and 7 months for the pit viper in Changbai Mountain), the deepest depth into the ground, and the southern boundary of hibernation is also the southernmost.

During hibernation, the snake does not eat or drink, reduces its metabolism to a minimum, and provides energy from the consumption of fat accumulated in the body to maintain the minimum needs of its vital activities. Snakes usually choose to hibernate in high, dry places such as tree cavities, burrows, and crevices in rocks. During hibernation in the wild, different species of snakes will swarm together to increase the surrounding temperature, reduce water evaporation, and facilitate overwintering.

When the spring flowers bloom, the snake will wake up and start to go out to forage for food. <

During hibernation, the snake does not eat or drink, reduces its metabolism to a minimum, and provides energy from the consumption of fat that is resistant to vertical accumulation in the body to maintain the minimum needs of its vital activities. Snakes usually choose to hibernate in high, dry places such as tree cavities, burrows, and crevices in rocks. When hibernation in the wild, different species of snakes gather together in groups, raising the surrounding temperature and reducing water evaporation, which is conducive to overwintering.

When spring blooms, the snake wakes up and goes out to forage for food.