Conservation for the future.

Welcome to my blog walking through the seasons,over the coming months i will be blogging about many different aspects of wildlife, so i hope you all enjoy looking at my blog.































































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Showing posts with label edible dormice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label edible dormice. Show all posts

Friday, 26 November 2010

Gluco neo-genisis.

With the one set of winter, food can run short for certain species of mammals. They face a simple choice, They either move with the food or they hibernate. Only three British mammals hibernate: Bats, hedgehogs and hazel dormice ( edible dormice hibernate as well). They are all mainly insectivores, As there are not so many insects about in winter they all hibernate. That is how and this is why: They all have to master gluco neo-genesis. They learn to chill their bodies right down and slow their heartbeats down as well. They also reduce their metabolism down by ninety nine per-cent. Before they hibernate they take on two types of fat. The first type of fat they take on is white atopos fat which through the process of gluco neo-genesis they get their energy. The second type of fat they take on is brown atopos fat. This is equally essential because while they still metabolise at one per-cent they still produce waste. They have to wake up from hibernation as well to burn brown atopos fat to produce heat as well. While they wake up they have a quick wee and poo and also have a quick sleep, because they don`t truly sleep while hibernating.