Sleepy Fish

Antarctic Fish "Hibernate" in Winter

Helen Scales
for National Geographic News
March 6, 2008

​

Antarctic cod go "on ice" and take a nap during the long winter months, a new study shows.

The cod hunker down on the seafloor, reduce their feeding, and slow their heart rates—probably as a way to survive Antarctica's dark winters, when the fish might have a harder time spotting prey.

This is the first time fish have been seen actively becoming torpid—a state similar to hibernation in land animals—as part of an annual cycle.

"A lot of freshwater fish go [unexpectedly] dormant in winter because a drop in temperature lowers their metabolism," said study co-author Hamish Campbell, a zoologist at the University of Queensland, Australia.

"By contrast, these Antarctic fish actively reduce their 'cost of living,'" he said.

8)​

 

I need to learn to do same.

 

Wow. That's pretty cool. I also saw on the discovery channel that Tuna differ from other fish in that their body temperature is a few degrees warmer than the ambient water. Go figure.

 

Isnt mother nature grand!!!;D

 

Zzzzzzz