Figure 29.12: A Bout of Hibernation in a Groundhog This groundhog or woodchuck (Marmota monax) was living where the external temperature was 6°C. Its body temperature was over 35°C before and after the bout of hibernation, but during the 12 days of hibernation its body temperature was very close to the external temperature. Bouts of hibernation like the one shown here are interrupted by brief periods when the body temperature is high, but a hibernator stays continuously in its burrow throughout these events during the hibernating season.