Do any animal hibernate in the summer?

The hibernating animals go into their deep comas when food becomes scarce and the weather is too uncomfortable for them. In most places, this is the chilly winter season. But in the deserts, the tough season comes with the scorching days of summer. Animals that go into a deep sleep to escape unbearable summer heat are said to estivate.

In our southwestern deserts, many of the furry little ground squirrels estivate during June and July. They curl up in their burrows and go into a deep coma which is just what their cousin the woodchuck does to escape the winter season in other parts of the country. Some do sort lizards and turtles also ostivate.