Could global warming potentially throw off animals' hibernation cycles?

Question

Seriously, if global warming is real, and the weather is getting warmer and warmer, how will animals know when to hibernate. I live in NY, NY, its December 27, we haven't seen any snow, yet squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits (i live in the burbs) can still be seen. Is hibernation a necessary proccess for these animals? How is global warming affecting them?

Answer 1

Hibernation is triggered by shorter daylight hours and not so much by cold weather. I live in the South and we have very mild winters so many animals do not go into full blown hibernation. They go into more of a "light" form of hibernation. This means they sleep when the weather is cold but then wake and become active during warm winter days. When the weather cools again, they go back to sleep. We have animals down here that are the same ones the Northerners have so I don't think not hibernating would affect those animals much. Some reptiles need a brumation/hibernation period in order to have a reproductive cycle. Not hibernating would have a more negative affect on those species. But... since hibernation is triggered mostly by short days, most of the animals that would normally hibernate deeply would probably still go into a light hibernation if the winter became more mild. This light hibernation is probably enough to still allow most animals to have normal reproductive cycles.

Answer 2

I am not sure, I think hibernation cycles are more closely related to length of day than to temperature. Squirrels and their cousins are usually out all winter long..even in Alaska. Of course global warming is affecting all life on the planet

Answer 3

When you actually measure the temperature, it has gone up 1 degree Celsius in the last 200 years. That is hardly going to effect hibernation cycles (or anything else).

Answer 4

Yes. It is affecting them, and global warming should be stopped. Here, usually the geese go south for the winter around mid-november but I still see geese everywhere, although a couple are starting to migrate.

Answer 5

And I just read that polar bears will be going onto the endangered lists.