torpor
Sign in to saveTorpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables animals to survive periods of reduced food availability. The term "torpor" can refer to the time a hibernator spends at low body temperature, lasting days to weeks, or it can refer to a period of low body temperature and metabolism lasting less than 24 hours.
Research
7,359 papers- Neurons that regulate mouse torpor.Nature · 2020
- Synthetic torpor: advancing metabolic regulation for medical innovations.Nature metabolism · 2025
- A torpor-like state in mice slows blood epigenetic aging and prolongs healthspan.Nature aging · 2025
- Human torpor: translating insights from nature into manned deep space expedition.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2021
- Preoptic EP3R neurons constitute a two-way switch for fever and torpor.Nature · 2025
via PubMed
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Evolution
- Endothermy and the Origins of Torpor
- Phylogenetic Distribution and Convergent Evolution
- Daily Torpor and Hibernation as Distinct Strategies
- Fossil Evidence: Torpor in Lystrosaurus
- Physiology
- Functions
- Circadian rhythm during torpor
- Energy conservation in small birds
- Advantage in environments with unpredictable food sources
- Survival during mass extinctions
- Inter-species competition
- Torpor in Bats
- Parasite resistance by bats
- Arouse from torpor
- Applications in space travel
- See also
- References
Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables animals to survive periods of reduced food availability. The term "torpor" can refer to the time a hibernator spends at low body temperature, lasting days to weeks, or it can refer to a period of low body temperature and metabolism lasting less than 24 hours.
The word comes from the early 13th century, originating from the Latin, torpor, to be numb or sluggish.