estivate

Estivate describes what certain animals do during hot, dry summers: they enter a dormant state to conserve energy and survive harsh conditions.

It's the summer equivalent of hibernating.

Snails, lungfish, and some reptiles estivate by burrowing underground or sealing themselves in protective cocoons until conditions improve.

Desert tortoises estivate through the hottest months.

The word is sometimes spelled aestivate, particularly in British English.