hibernation
n. a period of inactivity accompanied by a significant decrease in body temperature that occurs in certain warm-blooded vertebrates in temperate or arctic environments during winter. Body temperature may drop to within a few degrees of freezing. Activity of endocrine glands decreases during this period, but no single gland has been found to control hibernation. Some species (e.g., bears) consume large quantities of food before hibernation and maintain bodily functions with energy from fat deposits, but others (e.g., golden hamsters) store food and leave hibernation periodically to feed. Cold-blooded animals become dormant in cold temperatures. —hibernate
vb.