Saturday, September 5, 2026
Science

How hibernating squirrels retain sense of touch in the cold

For most mammals, cold suppresses neural activity and diminishes the sense of touch. But the thirteen-lined ground squirrel can detect touch in conditions as low as 4°C (39°F), about as cold as the inside of a refrigerator, finds a new Yale study published in Current Biology.

How hibernating squirrels retain sense of touch in the cold
Image: Phys.org
For most mammals, cold suppresses neural activity and diminishes the sense of touch. But the thirteen-lined ground squirrel can detect touch in conditions as low as 4°C (39°F), about as cold as the inside of a refrigerator, finds a new Yale study published in Current Biology.

Originally published at Phys.org

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