Seasonal Timing: How Does a Hibernator Know When to Stop Hibernating?

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.05.061
• Publication Date: 2014-07-07T15:45:56Z
• Authors: Roelof A. Hut; Hugues Dardente; Sjaak J. Riede
• Keywords: Hibernation; Torpor; Ground squirrel

Deep hibernators that spend winter in a hypothermic coma below ground can still emerge and reproduce in spring at the right moment. A recent study shows that specific cells of the pituitary may harbor the internal calendar responsible for this.