6 Hibernation & Migration of Animals -Lesson for Kids

It's time to wake up! Wake up! Oh! Wake up Jimmy. Let's go and play outside. Winter break does not mean that you can stay in bed all the time. It's so cold outside! I just want to stay in my warm and cosy bed and sleep. Ohh! it's so cold outside. I wander what do the animals do to protect themselves from this harsh winter. My teacher told us that most animals hibernate or migrate in winters. Hibernate, migrate what's that? Let me first tell about hibernation. In harsh winters, food become scarce and so animals need to conserve energy to live through the season. Many animals like Bears, Fox, Snakes, Tortoise and Bats call up and go into deep sleep till winter passes away. That is called hibernation. Hey, we can see the bats going to hibernate. But how does hibernation help? Oh! It's like saving energy. When we go playing or swimming, our heart, lungs etc. work very hard and so we feel very hungry after we come home the body needs extra food for extra work. But if our body does less work, it would need less food. When animals hibernate, their breathing and hearts slows down, their body temperature falls down reducing the need of energy. Less activity means less energy and less food. Yeah! I know one animal called- box turtle it can stop breathing completely. Instead, it absorbs oxygen through its skin. So, less work by lungs. But I wander how long they keep on sleeping like this? All through the winters, you know, the marmots and the polar bear can hibernate for up to 8 months every year. Their body has natural alarm clock when the spring sets in The alarm will go off. They will wake up and go out in search of food. Jimmy! Jimmy get dressed. Let's go and see where animals go to hibernate. Let's look for hibernating animals. Watch out! That snake just went in. Woahh! It has gone so deep under the ground. Look, where the frog has found its place for hibernation. Fish and frogs have bury themselves partly deep under the water to hibernate. Let me show you something more. That huge bear is sleeping so soundly. It's hibernating behind this rock in the cave. All these animals have made themselves so comfortable for hibernation as if they are in their cosy beds. They have found themselves places with the right temperature and moisture to sleep that long. Now I really wish I could hibernate too. No.. no! You are talking about sleeping. But hibernating is not the same as sleeping. Lower breathing and heart slows down while sleeping that is very little. During hibernation, heart and breathing slow down a lot. In hibernation, the mind is not as relaxed as it does while sleeping. It's as if someone has forced us to lie down for a long time with eyes closed and nothing to do. And though we are lying down we get tired. Imagine. You need to sleep because you are tired of sleeping. Hibernating. The animals may be of sleep deprived and will need to catch up on their sleep in the spring. Hey look up! See those birds, they are flying in a pattern. These birds look like Geese. Where are they all going? They may be going in search of food. Why are they not hibernating? They too must be feeling cold. Few of the animals don't hibernate. They go to warmer places to save themselves from cold and to find food. When it gets very cold in the north, the birds just fly away to warmer places down south where they will be able to survive. This is called migration. Oh! The migration is very smart. They don't feel cold and they also get food in warmer places. But how do they know the right direction? I wander if they too have a compass like mine to check their directions. We have learnt to find directions by using the Sun or stars during our campaign trip. The birds use the position of the Sun as a compass. Oh! That's so wonderful! Yeah! My teacher told me the same. But you know, a bird name, Waterfowl it flies in the night and it uses positions of stars to find direction. And few of the birds will also remember the way from their ***** You are right. Elephants also migrate by remembering the way. Oldest female elephant remembers fixed landmarks such as rivers and mountain ranges to lead the other members of the herd to food, water and safety. There are many other animals who migrate. But right now, let's migrate home. It's getting late now. This was a very interesting morning.