Memory on ice: spatial memory is retained over a 9-month hibernation period in Columbian ground squirrels
Abstract
Memory allows animals to utilize ecologically relevant information, yet whether it endures through prolonged metabolic shutdown is poorly understood. We tested spatial memory retention in a long-term, free-living hibernator, the Columbian ground squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus), using a field-based spatial maze over two consecutive active seasons. Ten individuals were tested before and after a 9-month hibernation period and compared with eight naive individuals. Maze-solving performances-time to exit, path sinuosity and navigational errors-were analysed over 10 consecutive trials using Bayesian nonlinear learning curves to separate retained memory from relearning. Strikingly, post-hibernation individuals with prior exposure to the task significantly outperformed naive individuals by 41-98% across all metrics, with initial performance after hibernation approaching pre-hibernation asymptotes. We show that spatial memory survives prolonged hibernation in the wild, supporting the hypothesis that neural plasticity during hibernation reflects adaptive retention rather than memory loss.
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BibTeX
@article{beauvieux2026memory,
title = {{Memory on ice: spatial memory is retained over a 9-month hibernation period in Columbian ground squirrels}},
author = {Anaïs Beauvieux and Jeremy Werner and F. Stephen Dobson and Lauriane Kuhn and Samuel Laporte and Ashley Olson and Claire Saraux and Meagan Dewar and Vincent Viblanc},
journal = {Biology Letters},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rsbl.2026.0220},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05787046v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Memory on ice: spatial memory is retained over a 9-month hibernation period in Columbian ground squirrels
AU - Anaïs Beauvieux
AU - Jeremy Werner
AU - F. Stephen Dobson
AU - Lauriane Kuhn
AU - Samuel Laporte
AU - Ashley Olson
AU - Claire Saraux
AU - Meagan Dewar
AU - Vincent Viblanc
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Biology Letters
DO - 10.1098/rsbl.2026.0220
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05787046v1
AB - Memory allows animals to utilize ecologically relevant information, yet whether it endures through prolonged metabolic shutdown is poorly understood. We tested spatial memory retention in a long-term, free-living hibernator, the Columbian ground squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus), using a field-based spatial maze over two consecutive active seasons. Ten individuals were tested before and after a 9-month hibernation period and compared with eight naive individuals. Maze-solving performances-time to exit, path sinuosity and navigational errors-were analysed over 10 consecutive trials using Bayesian nonlinear learning curves to separate retained memory from relearning. Strikingly, post-hibernation individuals with prior exposure to the task significantly outperformed naive individuals by 41-98% across all metrics, with initial performance after hibernation approaching pre-hibernation asymptotes. We show that spatial memory survives prolonged hibernation in the wild, supporting the hypothesis that neural plasticity during hibernation reflects adaptive retention rather than memory loss.
SN - 1744-9561
ER -