Hibernation

Hibernation written by Kira Fried.

《冬眠》，作者：基拉·弗里德。

Food is scarce. Many places have cold winters. Some animals in these places have trouble finding food in the winter. Food is scarce during this time. Some animals migrate to warmer places to find food and return in the spring. Other animals hibernate to survive the winter months.

食物很紧缺。 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。 这段时间食物特别少。 有些动物会迁徙到更暖和的地方找食物，春天再回来。 其他动物则靠冬眠熬过冬天。

What is hibernating? Hibernation is like a very sound sleep. Not even loud noises can wake the animals up. Hibernating animals sleep for days or weeks at a time. Hibernating animals breathe very slowly. Their hearts beat slower. They are using little energy, and they do not need to eat.

什么是冬眠呢？ 冬眠就像一场睡得特别沉的觉。 就算是很大的噪音也吵不醒这些动物。 冬眠的动物一睡就是好几天甚至好几个星期。 冬眠的动物呼吸得特别慢。 它们的心跳也更慢。 它们消耗的能量很少， 所以不需要吃东西。

When a warm -blooded animal hibernates, its body temperature drops until it is almost as cold as the temperature outside. A cold -blooded animal's body temperature always matches the temperature outside. When a cold -blooded animal gets too cold, it hibernates.

恒温动物冬眠的时候， 体温会降到几乎和外界温度一样低。 变温动物的体温一直都和外界温度保持一致。 变温动物觉得太冷的时候就会冬眠。

How do they stay alive? Hibernating animals eat lots of food before winter. They store the food in their bodies as fat. Their bodies live off this fat while they sleep. It takes very little energy to keep hibernating animals alive.

它们是怎么活下来的呢？ 冬眠的动物在冬天到来之前会吃很多食物。 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。 维持冬眠动物的生命只需要很少的能量。

Where do animals hibernate? Hibernating animals also need a safe place to sleep. They need to be away from the cold and hidden from hungry predators. Some animals, like bats, hibernate in caves.

动物们都在哪里冬眠呢？ 冬眠的动物也需要一个安全的地方睡觉。 它们得躲开寒冷，还要藏起来不被饥饿的捕食者发现。 有些动物比如蝙蝠，会在洞穴里冬眠。