Hibernation is the ability of some animals to enter a state of torpor or lethargy to spend the winter in order to survive the minimum conditions of the coldest season of the year.
Hibernation derives from the classic Latin hibernare, which derived in the adjective Castilian “hibernal”, which is ‘winter-related‘, such as the hibernas of Roman troops, which were barracks in which they remained in winter while They were inactive.
Hibernation is related to winter, which is originally derived from the Greek cheimón that specifically indicates the coldest season of the year: winter.
In the ancient language hibernate and winter were synonyms, since both referred to spending the winter somewhere. Today a distinction is made between the two words:
- Hibernate refers to the state in which some animals enter in order to avoid the most extreme temperatures and food shortages.
- Wintering refers to spending the winter season somewhere.
Animal hibernation
Hibernation in animals is characterized by a metabolic suspension, hypothermia or decrease in body temperature and a state of torpor (state in which we are when we sleep) in order to conserve body energy.
Although some reptiles that go into hibernation are known, it is an almost exclusive state of mammalian animals such as lilies, marmots, bears, bats, hamsters and ground squirrels.
Hibernation of a PC or computer
Hibernate mode and sleep mode on a computer are options to save energy when the computer is not used.
Hibernation differs from the suspension in that, although both stop the programs, documents and applications on the computer, the suspension records the processes paused in RAM consuming a minimum amount of energy, while hibernation records the processes paused on the hard drive, turning off the computer completely without using power.
The sleep mode is generally used when you want to stop using the computer for a short period of time as it returns to its normal state by moving the mouse or pressing a key.
The hibernation mode is generally used when you want to turn off the computer to stop using any energy letting applications, programs or processes remain open when you turn on the PC again.
