verb
- to spend the summer in a dormant or inactive state, especially as a survival mechanism during hot, dry conditions
Usage: biology; zoology
Examples
- Many desert animals estivate during the hottest months to conserve water and energy.
- Snails estivate by sealing themselves in their shells when conditions become too dry.
- Some frogs estivate underground until the rains return.
- The lungfish can estivate for months in dried mud cocoons.
- Certain reptiles estivate to survive extreme summer heat.
- Ground squirrels estivate when food becomes scarce in summer.