![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/prairie-vole-fogp-640x433.jpg\")
The Prairie Vole has been studied time and time again to unlock the secret to their unbreakable bonds. It turns out oxytocin is likely that secret. When touching, caressing and cuddling, a dose of oxytocin is released in their bodies and helps to create a long-lasting bond between pairs. In a University of Chicago study, Prairie Vole pairs were separated and placed in different cages. When one vole was stressed and the voles were finally reunited, the second vole would race over to the stressed mate and begin grooming and even licking the stressed vole to soothe it. Scientists believe this physical act is based in empathy.<\/p>\n
Animals that Hug to Reconnect After a Tiff<\/h3>\n![](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/grey-wolf-wolves-pair-woods-forest-hor-1100x640.jpg\")
Grey wolves<\/a> (Canus lupis) \u00a9 Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEverybody fights \u2013 even the most tight knit families. Some of these social animals will use physical touch, like hugging to reconnect and bond once again after a disagreement. Researchers found that dolphins will try to reconnect after a disagreement by rubbing each other\u2019s flippers and carrying each other through the water. Wolves, too, even with their strict hierarchy, will try to make up after conflict. Surprisingly, scientists based in Rome found that both dominant and subservient wolves will make the move to kiss and make up.<\/p>\n
Animals That Hug to Survive Winter<\/h3>\n![](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/flying-squirrel-luc-ferrell-817x640.jpg\")
Flying Squirrel \u00a9Luc Ferrell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHave you ever heard of kleptothermy? It\u2019s the act of stealing body heat from another person or animal. In the winter, plenty of animals are guilty of it. After all, it\u2019s practical. If you can snuggle up next to another critter in your crew and keep each other warm, you\u2019ll all live to see another spring! Let\u2019s take a look at some of the wildlife that snuggle to stay warm.<\/p>\n
Flying squirrels have to stay lean to glide and that works against them when the temperatures plummet and they\u2019re left shivering. That\u2019s why these cute critters will form what\u2019s known as a \u2018cuddle puddle\u2019 to share their body heat!<\/p>\n
While many marine mammals are coated in fur to keep them warm through the winter months, sea lions are pretty naked and don\u2019t have much of a defense against the cold. Unless, of course, you count their ability to keep one another warm. They\u2019ll gather in large rafts (numbers can be 1,500 sea lions strong!) and \u2026 well\u2026 cuddle! Researchers have found that sea lions that cuddle together on land can boost their body temperatures to 6\u00b0C warmer than their environment!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/bats-hibernating-getty-640x423.jpg\")
Bats hibernating \u00a9 Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn the fall, many bat species, like Little Brown Bats and Big Brown Bats, gather together to hibernate. They\u2019ll huddle close together in caves, abandoned mines or even attics to keep each other toasty. Sadly, that huddle is in part responsible for the spread of White-nose Syndrome. Thousands of bats have fallen victim to this disease that eats away at their skin, keeping them up from hibernation and robbing them of energy. The disease has ravaged many populations in Eastern Canada, was found in Saskatchewan in 2021 and has recently been discovered in Alberta too. Learn more about the fight they\u2019re up against and how CWF is trying to help our bats here. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Answer is a Bit More Complicated and Nuanced than You Might Think. The benefits of hugging in humans is pretty significant. A simple 20-second hug can release a powerful…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":12315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[631],"tags":[9490,9492,9494,22],"class_list":["post-12280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-connect-with-nature","tag-affection","tag-emotion","tag-hug","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12280"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12317,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280\/revisions\/12317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Everybody fights \u2013 even the most tight knit families. Some of these social animals will use physical touch, like hugging to reconnect and bond once again after a disagreement. Researchers found that dolphins will try to reconnect after a disagreement by rubbing each other\u2019s flippers and carrying each other through the water. Wolves, too, even with their strict hierarchy, will try to make up after conflict. Surprisingly, scientists based in Rome found that both dominant and subservient wolves will make the move to kiss and make up.<\/p>\n
Animals That Hug to Survive Winter<\/h3>\nFlying Squirrel \u00a9Luc Ferrell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHave you ever heard of kleptothermy? It\u2019s the act of stealing body heat from another person or animal. In the winter, plenty of animals are guilty of it. After all, it\u2019s practical. If you can snuggle up next to another critter in your crew and keep each other warm, you\u2019ll all live to see another spring! Let\u2019s take a look at some of the wildlife that snuggle to stay warm.<\/p>\n
Flying squirrels have to stay lean to glide and that works against them when the temperatures plummet and they\u2019re left shivering. That\u2019s why these cute critters will form what\u2019s known as a \u2018cuddle puddle\u2019 to share their body heat!<\/p>\n
While many marine mammals are coated in fur to keep them warm through the winter months, sea lions are pretty naked and don\u2019t have much of a defense against the cold. Unless, of course, you count their ability to keep one another warm. They\u2019ll gather in large rafts (numbers can be 1,500 sea lions strong!) and \u2026 well\u2026 cuddle! Researchers have found that sea lions that cuddle together on land can boost their body temperatures to 6\u00b0C warmer than their environment!<\/p>\nBats hibernating \u00a9 Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn the fall, many bat species, like Little Brown Bats and Big Brown Bats, gather together to hibernate. They\u2019ll huddle close together in caves, abandoned mines or even attics to keep each other toasty. Sadly, that huddle is in part responsible for the spread of White-nose Syndrome. Thousands of bats have fallen victim to this disease that eats away at their skin, keeping them up from hibernation and robbing them of energy. The disease has ravaged many populations in Eastern Canada, was found in Saskatchewan in 2021 and has recently been discovered in Alberta too. Learn more about the fight they\u2019re up against and how CWF is trying to help our bats here. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Answer is a Bit More Complicated and Nuanced than You Might Think. The benefits of hugging in humans is pretty significant. A simple 20-second hug can release a powerful…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":12315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[631],"tags":[9490,9492,9494,22],"class_list":["post-12280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-connect-with-nature","tag-affection","tag-emotion","tag-hug","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12280"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12317,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280\/revisions\/12317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Have you ever heard of kleptothermy? It\u2019s the act of stealing body heat from another person or animal. In the winter, plenty of animals are guilty of it. After all, it\u2019s practical. If you can snuggle up next to another critter in your crew and keep each other warm, you\u2019ll all live to see another spring! Let\u2019s take a look at some of the wildlife that snuggle to stay warm.<\/p>\n
Flying squirrels have to stay lean to glide and that works against them when the temperatures plummet and they\u2019re left shivering. That\u2019s why these cute critters will form what\u2019s known as a \u2018cuddle puddle\u2019 to share their body heat!<\/p>\n
While many marine mammals are coated in fur to keep them warm through the winter months, sea lions are pretty naked and don\u2019t have much of a defense against the cold. Unless, of course, you count their ability to keep one another warm. They\u2019ll gather in large rafts (numbers can be 1,500 sea lions strong!) and \u2026 well\u2026 cuddle! Researchers have found that sea lions that cuddle together on land can boost their body temperatures to 6\u00b0C warmer than their environment!<\/p>\n In the fall, many bat species, like Little Brown Bats and Big Brown Bats, gather together to hibernate. They\u2019ll huddle close together in caves, abandoned mines or even attics to keep each other toasty. Sadly, that huddle is in part responsible for the spread of White-nose Syndrome. Thousands of bats have fallen victim to this disease that eats away at their skin, keeping them up from hibernation and robbing them of energy. The disease has ravaged many populations in Eastern Canada, was found in Saskatchewan in 2021 and has recently been discovered in Alberta too. Learn more about the fight they\u2019re up against and how CWF is trying to help our bats here. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"