Hibernation

Hibernation, written by Keira Fried.

《冬眠》，作者：凯拉·弗里德。

No food in winter. Many places have cold winters. Some animals in these places have trouble finding food in the winter. Many animals move to warmer places to find food. Other animals hibernate.

冬天找不到食物。 很多地方的冬天都很冷。 这些地方的有些动物冬天很难找到食物。 很多动物会搬到更温暖的地方寻找食物。 还有一些动物会选择冬眠。

What is hibernating? Hibernating is like a very sound sleep. Hibernating animals sleep for many days or weeks at a time. Animals breathe slowly when they hibernate. Their hearts beat slower and they do not need to eat.

什么是冬眠呀？ 冬眠就像一场睡得特别沉的长觉。 冬眠的动物一睡就是好几天，甚至好几个星期。 动物冬眠的时候呼吸很慢， 心跳也会变慢，还不需要吃东西。

How do they stay alive? Hibernating animals eat lots of food before winter begins. They store the food in their bodies as fat. Their bodies live off this fat while they sleep.

那它们是怎么活下来的呢？ 要冬眠的动物会在冬天到来之前吃好多好多食物。 它们把食物转化成脂肪储存在身体里。 睡觉的时候，它们的身体就靠这些脂肪维持生命。

They also need a safe place to sleep. They need to be safe from the cold. And they need to be safe from predators that want to eat them.

它们还需要一个安全的地方睡觉。 这个地方要足够暖和，能帮它们抵御寒冷。 还要足够安全，不会被想吃它们的天敌找到。

Some animals, like bats, hibernate in caves. Hibernating snakes sleep underground in burrows. Frogs and turtles sleep in mud at the bottom of ponds.

有些动物，比如蝙蝠，会在山洞里冬眠。 要冬眠的蛇会在地下的洞穴里睡觉。 青蛙和乌龟会睡在池塘底部的泥巴里。