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
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “torpor” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.