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Scenes From Spring·Video

Arctic ground squirrels have a busy spring after sleeping for eight months

After a long winter, it's finally time for these furry fellows to get back to business.
CBC ·

Arctic ground squirrels wake up from hibernation

4 years ago
Duration 1:36
After eight months of sleep, it's time for these critters to get back to business.

Hello, Spring!

Spring arrives much later in the Arctic than elsewhere in Canada. For these Arctic ground squirrels, it's a very busy time — they've been asleep underground for the past eight months!

In order to survive the harsh Arctic winter, the squirrels hunker down in their burrow and hibernate. Their body temperature drops as low as -2.9 C and their organs shut down — even their heart beats only once every minute.

But as the sun returns to the North, the ice begins to melt and the soil starts to warm up, triggering them to wake up. And they have a lot of work to do! They have a two-week window to mate and need to stock up on food as quickly as they can — they only have three months to prepare for next winter. 

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