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Information about Estivation

Estivation or aestivation (from Latin aestas, summer) is a rare state of dormancy similar to hibernation, but during the months of the summer. Animals that estivate spend a summer inactive and insulated against heat to avoid the potentially harmful effects of the season (such as the increase in temperature, or relative lack of water), or to avoid contact with other species with which they may otherwise be in competition, or for which they are prey. Some animals, including the California red-legged frog, may estivate to conserve energy when their food and water supply is low.

Both land-dwelling and aquatic animals undergo estivation. Animals that estivate include North American desert tortoises, crocodiles, salamanders, and lungfishes. The lungfish estivates by burying itself in mud formed at the surface of a dried up lake. In this state, the lungfish can survive for many years. Other animals estivate in their burrow and wait for autumn to come.

Snails also estivate during periods of heat during the day. They move into the vegetation, away from the ground heat, and secrete a membrane made of calcium over the opening to their shell in order to prevent water loss.

Until recently no primate, and no tropical mammal, was known to estivate. However, animal physiologist Kathrin Dausmann of Philipps University of Marburg, Germany, and coworkers presented evidence in the 24 June 2004 edition of Nature that the Madagascan fat-tailed dwarf lemur hibernates or estivates in a small cricket hollow for seven months of the year.

The information above contradicts common beliefs about estivation, saying that it does not apply to mammals. Squirrels and chipmunks are said to be in estivation, not hibernation, in the worst of winter, with hibernation being a more dormant state, whereas with estivation the metabolism is merely slowed and so they may arouse and make an appearance on a sunny day.

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Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when development is temporarily suspended. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be closely associated with environmental conditions.
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Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernation conserves energy, especially during winter.
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Summer is one of the four seasons of the year. In the West, the seasons are generally considered to start at the equies and solstices, based on astronomical reckoning. In English-language calendars, based on astronomy, summer begins on the day of the summer solstice and ends on the
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trillion fold).]]

Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold; something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature. Temperature is one of the principal parameters of thermodynamics.
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Rana aurora

Binomial name
Rana aurora draytonii

The California Red-legged frog (Rana aurora ) is a sub-species of frog within the family Ranidae also known as the "true frogs".
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G. agassizii

Binomial name
Gopherus agassizii
Cooper, 1863

The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii
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Caudata/Urodela



Suborders

Cryptobranchoidea
Salamandroidea
Sirenoidea
Salamander (orig. from Persian: sām, Fire, and andarūn, Within) is the common name applied to approximately 500 species
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Dipnoi
Müller, 1844

Orders

See text.
Lungfish are freshwater fish belonging to the order Dipnoi. Lungfish are best-known for retaining characteristics primitive within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and structures primitive
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snail is loosely applied to almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the adult stage.

The class Gastropoda is the second largest class of invertebrates, second only to the insects.
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Primates
Linnaeus, 1758

Families
  • 15, See classification
A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the last category
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tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere, at approximately 23°30' (23.5°) N latitude, and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at 23°30' (23.5°) S latitude.
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Mammalia
Linnaeus, 1758

Subclasses & Infraclasses
  • Subclass †Allotheria*
  • Subclass Prototheria
  • Subclass Theria

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University of Marburg (German: Philipps-Universität Marburg 'Philip's University, Marburg'), was founded in 1527 by Landgrave Philipp I of Hesse (usually called the Magnanimous, although the updated meaning 'haughty' is sometimes given) as the world's first and oldest
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Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
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June 24 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces.

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20th century - 21st century - 22nd century
1970s  1980s  1990s  - 2000s -  2010s  2020s  2030s
2001 2002 2003 - 2004 - 2005 2006 2007

2004 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
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Nature is a prominent scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. Although most scientific journals are now highly specialized, Nature is one of the few journals, along with other weekly journals such as Science and
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Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually characterized by a reduced body temperature and rate of metabolism. Animals that go through torpor include small birds like hummingbirds and some small mammals such as bats.
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Hibernation induction trigger (hibernation inducement trigger or HIT) is a substance found in the blood of hibernating animals. If blood is taken from a hibernating squirrel in the winter and injected into another squirrel in the spring, the normally active squirrel
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