Trading sex for sleep -- Aging dormice shorten their hibernation for more reproduction

(University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna) Edible dormice are extremely long-lived thanks to their seasonal dormancy with hibernation periods lasting between at six and eleven months. Factors influencing the variable duration, apart from specific environmental conditions, have so far been unknown. Researchers at Vetmeduni Vienna hypothesised that older animals should shorten their winter dormancy in favour of a reproductive advantage and confirmed this for both sexes in a database analysis, published in Scientific Reports.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news