Difference between Sleep and Hibernation

Ans. Tropical climates are highly hot and humid while temperate climates are warm. There is abundant rainfall along with a considerable amount of sunshine in tropical climates. Animals that live in these tropical climates are adapted in a way to cope with the heat:

• Elephants have huge ears which helps them to radiate off the heat from their body.
• Usually, they also swim during hot weather to cool off and use their trunks in order to sprinkle water on their backs.
• Lions and tigers usually live near the water bodies in order to stay cool by also swimming in the daytime.
• Most of the monkeys like some apes and lion-tailed macaques are considerably smaller in size as compared to other animals.
• This helps them to lose the heat in their bodies quickly.
• Most of the herbivorous animals stay in young leaves, seeds, fruits, flowers, stems, and buds.
• They have a higher water content in order to replenish their bodies with the help of water in a climate of high temperatures.
• Some animals have sticky pads on their feet like the red-eyed frog. These pads help them to climb trees on which they reside.

Ans. The polar regions are at extreme distances from the equator and hence they receive a little amount of sunlight. All throughout the year, these places have freezing temperatures.

Animals like the caribou that are not able to cope with the extreme cold migrate to places with favourable conditions during the winter months such as the Alaskan forests. Snow geese migrate away to Japan while the arctic terns fly away to Antarctica to breed.

These animals also adopt hibernation which is the process of being in an inactive state in certain animals.

Some of the animals that hibernate during the winter months are skunks, polar bears, chipmunks, etc.

Arctic foxes have long white fur. This fur camouflages them from predators while also protecting them from extreme cold. During months of summer, the colour of their coat changes to brown, allowing them to blend well with the environment. The round and small ears of the fox along with their paws and nose help them in preventing loss of heat from the body.

Polar bears have large and wide paws that help them in walking and swimming with ease. While underwater, they have the ability to close their nostrils, which helps in staying there for a long period of time. The polar bears also possess a strong sense of smell, therefore they can easily identify their prey even from a huge range of distances. Polar bears also have a thick layer of fur that insulates them from the extreme cold. They also possess a thick layer of fat which is also known as the blubber, present under their skin which helps them to stay warm.

Ans. When animals undergo hibernation, it means they go into a deep and prolonged sleep during adverse conditions. Mostly, animals do it during winter times when the outside temperature is very low and it is hard for animals to find food. Different animals adopt different hibernation patterns. Animals can adopt a state of hibernation for several months. They either retreat to caves or go underground where they can stay safe from predators. During these times, their heartbeats and breathing rate slows down significantly. Due to this decreased breathing rate and slow heartbeat, the body temperature of these animals drops down.

Then, they use the fat they had stored in their body in order to survive. Since these animals are not doing most of the life processes, the fats help them survive during their entire hibernation phase. Human beings do not need to hibernate as we have alternatively invented methods of storing large amounts of food and producing it regularly in larger amounts.

Ans. Sleep is a natural physiological state of rest that is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity, and increased brain activity, particularly in areas associated with memory consolidation and emotion regulation. Sleep is essential for physical and mental health, and it helps to restore the body's energy levels.

There are two main types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep is further divided into three stages: light sleep, intermediate sleep, and deep sleep.

Ans. The climate of a place can be understood as the average weather pattern that a place observes over a longer period of time. On the basis of the temperature and precipitation, there are five major types of climate recognized which are as follows:

• Moist tropical climates: Huge amounts of rain along with high temperatures all around the year
• Dry Climates: High daily temperature range with little rain
• Humid Middle Latitude Climates: Dry summers with warm air and wet and cool winters
• Continental Climate: Low temperatures, supporting a fixed snow cover each year
• Polar areas: Extremely cold climates 

Climate plays an important role in the survival of living organisms. Animals mainly adapt themselves to survive varying conditions in which they survive. When animals survive in extreme climates, they adapt and acquire some special features in order to protect themselves and survive better. These characteristics help them to better adapt to their environment.

For example, the camels in the desert areas have a hump that helps them in storing food in the form of fat. They also have hooves that help them walk in the desert sands with ease.

Ans. The stages of sleep are mainly divided into non-REM sleep and REM sleep.

Non-rapid Eye Movement Sleep (NREM)

• The first stage of NREM sleep mainly occurs right after one falls asleep.
• This stage is usually even less than 10 minutes and is very short.
• A person can be easily awakened during this stage.
• The second stage of NREM sleep lasts for about 30 to 60 minutes.
• The muscles of our body become significantly relaxed during this stage.
• During the last stage of NREM sleep, a person is in deep sleep and a person might observe some movements of the body.

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REM)

REM sleep is deeper than NREM sleep as the eyelids of a person flutter during REM sleep and the breathing of a person becomes irregular.