Being cold-blooded is not for weaklings. This is true in the summer, when temperatures can elevate to the point where everything just feels, well, HOT.
This is also true in the winter, when everywhere you go and everything you touch and everyone you see is so COLD.
But not all cold-blooded shelled beings hibernate. Hibernating, of course, is when you tuck yourself away for much of the cold season, slowing down your metabolism and basically just snoozing the time away.
For example, let’s say you are a tropical South American redfooted tortoise. Where you come from, it never really gets cold enough to warrant a full-on hibernation.
Even in the tropical part of North America where you now live with your interspecies flock, you can go through the winter without hibernating (unlike your wimpy box turtle brother, who heads for hibernation the moment the first chilly winds start to blow).
But just having the ability to stay above ground for the winter season doesn’t necessarily mean you want to.
After all, you enjoy a good, cozy nap as much as the next being. If it comes with soft blankets and plush nap time companions, along with a nice warm habitat heater and heat lamp, even better.
