Groundhogs - The True Hibernators

When we are in hibernation, our body temperature falls from our normal 37.2 degrees Celsius to as low as 2.77 degrees Celsius! To minimize our energy expenditures, our heart rate reduces to four to 10 beats per minute, and our respiration rate may drop to two breaths a minute. Our body weight gradually decreases, and we may lose as much as half of our mass by February.