estivation
Hot weather torpor
Estivation is a state of dormancy some animals enter during hot, dry periods—summer's equivalent of hibernation.
Snails, lungfish, and certain reptiles estivate to survive when water is scarce and temperatures are extreme.
The spelling aestivation is common in British English.
Desert tortoises estivate underground during the hottest months.
Shelled terrestrial gastropods
- lungfishFish that breathes air
- earthwormsSoil-dwelling segmented invertebrates
- desert tortoiseDrought-adapted shelled reptile
- crocodilesLarge aquatic reptiles
salamanders · frogs · toads · invertebrates · mollusks · amphibians · reptiles · ectotherms
Inactive, sluggish state
- aestivationTorpor during hot periods
- quiescenceState of being inactive
- diapauseInsect developmental suspension
- lethargyAbnormal drowsiness and apathy
inactivity · metabolic depression · suspended animation · repose · rest · sluggishness · latency · dormant
Transferred thermal energy
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- aridDevoid of water
- drynessAbsence of moisture
- dry seasonMonths with minimal rainfall
tropics · desert · sweltering · scorching · parched · dehydration · water conservation · shade
Remaining alive against odds
- water retentionBody storing excess fluid
- energy conservationUnchanging total in closed systems
- drought toleranceCapacity to withstand water scarcity
- reactivationRestoring to function
snails
Shelled terrestrial gastropods
- lungfishFish that breathes air
- earthwormsSoil-dwelling segmented invertebrates
- desert tortoiseDrought-adapted shelled reptile
crocodiles · salamanders · frogs · toads · invertebrates · mollusks · amphibians · reptiles · ectotherms · land snails
torpor
Inactive, sluggish state
- aestivationTorpor during hot periods
- quiescenceState of being inactive
- diapauseInsect developmental suspension
lethargy · inactivity · metabolic depression · suspended animation · repose · rest · sluggishness · latency · dormant · resting
heat
Transferred thermal energy
dry season · tropics · desert · sweltering · scorching · parched · dehydration · water conservation · shade · cooling
survival
Remaining alive against odds
- water retentionBody storing excess fluid
- energy conservationUnchanging total in closed systems
- drought toleranceCapacity to withstand water scarcity
- environmental adaptationscamouflage, mimicry, hibernation, migration, thick fur
- biological responsesthermoregulation, stress response, physiological response, fight or flight, reflexes
- desert survivalwater conservation, water storage, water retention, heat tolerance, drought tolerance
- dormancyhibernation, dormancy, torpor, diapause, aestivation
- survival strategieshibernation, mimicry, dormancy, predation, territoriality
- stasisstasis, suspended animation, cryostasis, hibernation, dormancy