estivate

(verb)

to go into stasis or torpor in the summer months

Related Terms

Examples of estivate in the following topics:

  • Temperature and Water

    • Some animals hibernate or estivate to survive hostile temperatures.
    • Hibernation enables animals to survive cold conditions, while estivation allows animals to survive the hostile conditions of a hot, dry climate.
    • Animals that hibernate or estivate enter a state known as torpor, a condition in which their metabolic rate is significantly lowered.

  • Animal Bioenergetics

    • If torpor occurs during the summer months with high temperatures and little water, it is called estivation.
    • Some desert animals estivate to survive the harshest months of the year.