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Bears are not the only animals that hibernate. Arctic ground squirrels, marmots, bats, hedgehogs, dormice, and even one unusual primate can spend weeks or months in a highly reduced state of activity. During true hibernation, an animal’s metabolism, heart rate, breathing, and body temperature fall substantially so it can survive a season when food or water is scarce.
Bears are not the only animals that hibernate. Arctic ground squirrels, marmots, bats, hedgehogs, dormice, and even one unusual primate can spend weeks or months in a highly reduced state of activity. During true hibernation, an animal’s metabolism, heart rate, breathing, and body temperature fall substantially so it can survive a season when food or water is scarce.
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These animals do not all hibernate in exactly the same way. Some enter deep, prolonged torpor; others wake repeatedly to eat stored food or briefly raise their body temperature. The 11 examples below include classic mammalian hibernators as well as species often described as hibernators because their seasonal dormancy includes repeated torpor.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches1. Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii)
The Arctic ground squirrel is one of the most extreme mammalian hibernators known. It may remain underground for approximately seven to eight months, with its body temperature dropping dramatically during deep torpor. It also periodically arouses, briefly restoring more normal body temperature and activity before returning to torpor.
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One especially remarkable feature is this squirrel’s ability to tolerate body temperatures at or below the freezing point during parts of hibernation. That adaptation helps it survive the exceptionally long, cold winters of the Arctic.
“Squirrel” does not automatically mean “hibernator.” Many tree squirrels remain active through winter and depend on stored nuts and other food. Ground squirrels, including the Arctic ground squirrel, are the much stronger examples of true hibernation.
2. Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris)
Yellow-bellied marmots are true hibernators that spend the cold season in underground burrows. When alpine plants are unavailable, they stop eating and drinking, their metabolism slows greatly, and their body temperature and heart rate fall.
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Marmots generally experience a much deeper reduction in body temperature than bears do. Although bears are widely known for winter dormancy, they are not necessarily the deepest hibernators among mammals.
3. Woodchuck or groundhog (Marmota monax)
The woodchuck—also called the groundhog—is another genuine hibernator. It retreats to an underground burrow for winter, where its body temperature may fall to about 37°F (about 3°C). Its heart rate and metabolism also slow, allowing it to live off body fat accumulated during the growing season.
A woodchuck can lose a substantial amount of weight between autumn and spring. It does not need to spend the winter foraging because its physiology and stored energy carry it through the period when vegetation is scarce.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Groundhog Day is a cultural tradition associated with the animal’s emergence, not evidence that groundhogs can predict the weather. The timing of emergence varies with conditions, location, and the individual animal.
4. Chipmunk
Chipmunks do enter a winter dormancy, but their hibernation is relatively shallow and interrupted compared with the deep torpor of an Arctic ground squirrel or marmot. They retreat to burrows and periodically wake during the winter.
During these arousals, chipmunks can use food they cached in their burrow. They may also become active above ground on unusually warm winter days. This pattern is sometimes called “restless hibernation” because it is not one uninterrupted period of deep sleep.
So, it is accurate in general-interest writing to say that chipmunks hibernate—but it would be misleading to suggest that they remain continuously unconscious or experience the same extreme physiological changes as the deepest hibernators.
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5. Meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius)
The meadow jumping mouse is a small North American rodent with disproportionately large hind feet and a long tail. It spends the cold season in hibernation, usually underground, after building up fat reserves before winter.
Research on this species shows that shorter daylight and lower temperatures help trigger pre-hibernation fattening and the transition into dormancy. Its hibernation consists of long torpor bouts separated by brief arousals rather than one continuous, unbroken sleep.
This behavior should not be generalized to ordinary house mice. A house mouse may become sluggish in cold conditions, but that is not the same as the regulated seasonal hibernation seen in the meadow jumping mouse.
6. Edible or fat dormouse (Glis glis)
The edible dormouse, also known as the fat dormouse, is a European and southwestern Asian rodent famous for its long hibernation. Depending on the individual and local conditions, it may remain dormant for as long as seven or even more than eight months.
That prolonged dormancy is closely tied to seasonal food availability. The dormouse takes advantage of energy-rich tree seeds when they are available, stores energy as body fat, and then spends much of the year inactive when those foods are no longer accessible.
Its common names can be confusing: “edible dormouse” and “fat dormouse” refer to the same species, not two different animals.
7. European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
European hedgehogs hibernate in sheltered outdoor nests during the colder months, when insects and other invertebrate prey become difficult to find. During hibernation, activity, body temperature, breathing, and metabolism fall sharply.
Hedgehogs do not necessarily stay dormant for one identical period every year. In the United Kingdom, wild hedgehogs commonly hibernate from roughly November through March, but weather, geography, age, body condition, and captivity can all affect the timing and duration. Spontaneous arousals also occur during the hibernation season.
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For pet owners, an important distinction is that an unexpectedly cold, weak, or unresponsive pet hedgehog should not simply be assumed to be hibernating normally. Captive animals can develop dangerous torpor when temperatures or care conditions are unsuitable and may need prompt veterinary advice.
8. Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)
Little brown bats hibernate in caves, mines, and other protected shelters when cold weather removes most of the flying insects they eat. During torpor, they lower their metabolism, heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature, sometimes remaining inactive for months.
They periodically arouse, but each arousal uses valuable energy. That is why disturbing hibernating bats can be harmful: repeated awakenings can rapidly deplete their fat reserves before insects return in spring.
Not every bat hibernates. Depending on the species and geography, bats may migrate, hibernate, or use a combination of strategies. “Bats hibernate” is therefore too broad unless it is qualified by species and location.
9. Syrian or golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)
Syrian hamsters are recognized in physiological research as mammalian hibernators. Their pattern often includes relatively short torpor bouts followed by periodic arousals, rather than the exceptionally long, deep bouts seen in some ground squirrels.
The research animal and the household pet should not be confused. A pet Syrian hamster may become cold and unresponsive in a state of torpor when exposed to unsuitable temperatures, stress, illness, or inadequate care. That is not a condition owners should try to create. A cold or apparently lifeless pet hamster requires careful, prompt veterinary guidance rather than being treated as if hibernation were a normal seasonal goal.
10. Fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius)
The fat-tailed dwarf lemur of Madagascar is one of the most surprising hibernators because it is a primate living in a tropical environment. Before the dry season, it stores fat in its tail. It may then remain dormant for roughly six to eight months while food and water are limited.
During this period, its body temperature and metabolic rate fall. The result is a seasonal energy-saving strategy suited to Madagascar’s dry season rather than to a freezing winter.
Dormancy is not identical across all dwarf-lemur species or every individual. Some show extended torpor patterns, and the depth and timing of dormancy can vary with environmental conditions. It is more accurate to describe the group carefully than to imply that every dwarf lemur follows the same hibernation schedule.
11. Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)
The short-beaked echidna is an egg-laying mammal that can enter seasonal torpor or hibernation. It is therefore an unusual addition to a list dominated by rodents, bats, hedgehogs, and other familiar placental mammals.
Echidna dormancy varies according to region, season, sex, and environmental conditions. For that reason, “can hibernate or enter prolonged torpor” is the most precise general description. Its ability to reduce activity and energy use helps it cope with periods when temperatures or food availability are unfavorable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Hibernation is not simply a long sleep
Ordinary sleep is a regular daily state from which an animal can usually wake relatively easily. Hibernation is a regulated physiological strategy involving a much more substantial reduction in metabolism and often major decreases in heart rate, breathing, and body temperature.
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Brumation is the more precise term commonly used for cold-season dormancy in reptiles and amphibians. These animals depend on environmental heat and do not regulate body temperature in the same mammalian way, so their winter physiology differs from mammalian hibernation. Reptiles are often said to “hibernate” in casual explanations, but “brumate” is scientifically clearer.
What do hibernating animals have in common?
- They prepare in advance. Many eat heavily or otherwise build energy reserves before dormancy.
- They choose shelter carefully. Burrows, caves, nests, tree hollows, and other protected sites help reduce exposure to weather and predators.
- They conserve energy. Lower metabolism means the animal can survive with little or no food for an extended period.
- They are not necessarily inactive for the entire season. Brief arousals are a normal part of many hibernation patterns.
- The schedule depends on conditions. Temperature, daylight, rainfall, food availability, body condition, age, and geography all influence when dormancy begins and ends.
For families, teachers, or homeschoolers wanting a simple follow-up resource, an animal hibernation book can help children compare where different species shelter, what happens to their bodies, and why some animals hibernate while others migrate or remain active. Check the current edition, age range, and availability before purchasing.
Why do animals hibernate in such different places?
Hibernation is not limited to one climate. Arctic ground squirrels use it to survive extreme cold and long darkness. Marmots and woodchucks avoid winters when plants are unavailable. Bats wait out the seasonal disappearance of flying insects. The fat-tailed dwarf lemur uses dormancy during a hot, dry season in Madagascar.
The common factor is not simply cold. It is a predictable period when remaining active costs more energy than an animal can obtain from its environment. Hibernation, torpor, migration, food caching, and other strategies are different answers to that seasonal problem.
Bottom line
Bears are famous for winter dormancy, but they are only one small part of the story. The deepest and most dramatic hibernators include Arctic ground squirrels, marmots, and some dormice; interrupted or shallower patterns occur in animals such as chipmunks, bats, hamsters, and dwarf lemurs. The exact meaning of “hibernation” depends on the species, so the most accurate descriptions distinguish true deep hibernation from repeated torpor—and both from reptile brumation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What animals hibernate besides bears?
No. Many animals hibernate besides bears, including ground squirrels, marmots, woodchucks, dormice, hedgehogs, bats, hamsters, dwarf lemurs, and echidnas.
How is hibernation different from sleep?
A hibernating animal undergoes a regulated, prolonged reduction in metabolism, heart rate, breathing, and often body temperature. Sleep is a regular daily state and is usually much easier to interrupt.
Do chipmunks really hibernate?
Some chipmunks do hibernate, but their winter dormancy is relatively shallow and interrupted. They wake periodically and may use food cached in their burrows.
Do all bats hibernate?
No. Some bats hibernate, while others migrate or use different seasonal strategies. Behavior varies by species and location.
What is the difference between hibernation and brumation?
Brumation is the more precise term for cold-season dormancy in reptiles and amphibians. It differs from mammalian hibernation because these animals depend on environmental heat and have different winter physiology.
The Bottom Line
At least 11 animals besides bears hibernate or enter prolonged seasonal torpor, including Arctic ground squirrels, marmots, woodchucks, chipmunks, meadow jumping mice, dormice, hedgehogs, little brown bats, Syrian hamsters, fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, and short-beaked echidnas. Their dormancy varies in depth and duration, but all use reduced activity and metabolism to survive a season when food, water, or suitable conditions are limited.
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