Lots of animals take a winter sleep, but do snakes TRULY hibernate?
As we enter our colder winter months, we begin to see much less of our cold-blooded reptile friends. When it comes to weather, snakes tend to appreciate hot, sunny days and leave the cold, blustery days to the mammals and birds. When animals enter their restful periods for the winter, we usually call this “hibernation,” but do snakes truly hibernate?
Nope! What snakes do in the wintertime is called brumation. Brumation means that the snakes go into a state of reduced activity and metabolism in the colder months. During brumation, snakes may become slightly active on warmer days to get a drink of water or find a quick meal. Snakes will seek out warmer spots, like a den or a burrow, to wait out the cold in this brumation state.
This differs from hibernation, where warm-blooded animals sleep for long periods of time, in which they wake up very infrequently; and their metabolisms, heart rates, and breathing slow down dramatically. Brumation is not as deep as true hibernation and can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the weather and temperatures.
