1. plural of estivator; animals that undergo estivation (a dormant state during hot, dry seasons)
Usage: biology; zoology
2. plural of estivator; organisms or creatures that spend the summer in a particular place or state
Usage: rare; archaic

Examples

• Many desert estivators, such as lungfish, enter a dormant state to survive drought.
• Certain amphibians are known estivators that burrow underground during summer heat.
• The estivators in the study showed reduced metabolic rates during the dry season.
• Snails and other estivators can remain inactive for months without food or water.
• Scientists tracked the estivators to understand how they adapt to extreme temperatures.