L'IL BUCKAROOS |
January/February 2017
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If you're a kid, you came to
the right place, because... this page is
just for KIDS! 
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Sweet Potato the mule loves the snow that winter brings. How about you?
Read more about Sweets further down on this page. |
This month's Wild Heart Mustangs™
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HOW DO ANIMALS SURVIVE WINTER?
Lots of people have cats and dogs who can take shelter inside a human's house when the weather outside is bad. But most animals can't do that. They don't live near humans (or want to) and must somehow survive when winter brings cold weather, snow and ice to where they live. The plants and animals they like to eat are hard to find. Winter weather can be really, really hard to deal with in the great outdoors.
And what about you? How do you survive winter weather? You put on heavy coats and socks, boots and hats when you go outside, and stay nice and warm inside in front of the TV the rest of the time? If your school calls a snow day and you can spend the day having fun instead of sitting in a classroom, are your animal friends outside having fun? That's nice and cozy for you, but what do animals do, when they can't cuddle up with you in bed or curl up on a nice, soft, warm sofa? When your pet kitty or puppy is snuggling with you indoors, what's happening to their cousins outdoors? |
Photo courtesy of Mother Nature Network (mmn.com)
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MIGRATION
For some animals, winter time means time to MIGRATE: get out of town. They go to places with warmer weather and more to eat. Birds are a good example of migrating animals. Some of them travel in large flocks, which can be safer than traveling alone. For example, geese fly in noisy, "V"-shaped groups, having loud honking conversations while they fly.
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Listen to the geese honking in this video. They are so LOUD! And what are they saying? "Hey guys, come on, go this way! There's lots of fresh grasses to eat out in California!" |
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There are a few mammals, like some bats, caribou, elk and whales that travel in search of food each winter. Many fish migrate also, swimming south, or into deeper, warmer water. Insects like butterflies and months also migrate. For example, Monarch butterflies spend the summer in Canada and the northern USA, then migrate as far south as Mexico for the winter. Most migrating insects go shorter distances. Termites, Japanese beetles, and earthworms move downward into the soil.
Scientists are trying to figure out how animals know when and where to go at migration time. Weather is just one of the clues to that. You feel a cold breeze on your face and know it's time to put on a coat and hat. Other clues include the number of hours of daylight and the food animals eat. No more bugs to munch? Time to head south! |
ADAPTATION
Some animals stay at home in the winter, but because the weather changes, they need to ADAPT and change their bodies and behavior in order to stay warm and have enough to eat
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One adaptation is to grow thicker, warmer fur in the fall. Some weasels and rabbits grow white hair for the winter, to help them hide in the snow. Pretty smart, huh?
Remember the picture (at the top of this page) of Sweet Potato the mule in the snow? Well, in the spring he starts shedding sheds that thick, furry coat and spends the summer looking sleek!
But it's a different story come wintertime! >> |
Some animals hide from wnter weather by staying in holes in trees or logs, under rocks or leaves, or even underground. Some mice build tunnels through the snow. To try to stay warm, animals like squirrels and mice may snuggle close together.
<< This is Sweets in the winter, playing in the snow. Doesn't look much like the summer Sweets, does he? |
Food can be hard to find in the winter, animals like squirrels, mice and beavers gather extra food in the fall and store it to eat later. Others, like rabbits and deer, spend the winter looking for moss, twigs, bark and leaves to eat. Some animals eat different kinds of food as the seasons change. For example, the red fox can't find fruit and insects during winter, so it switches to eating small rodents like mice, rats, and chipmunks.
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HIBERNATION
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Some animals hibernate for part or all of the winter. It's a special, very deep sleep. The animal's body temperature drops and its heartbeat and breathing slow down, so it uses very little energy. The extra food it ate to get ready for winter stays in its body as body fat that gives them energy while it sleeps. Bears, skunks, chipmunks, and some bats hibernate. Many of them wake up often enough to eat some of the food they stashed and use their "toilet room", then go back to sleep again.
The biggest hibernators, bears, do not eat, drink, or excrete at all while hibernating, which can be as long as six months. But even though they sleep and sleep for up to 6 months, they're able to wake up quickly in an emergency. So be careful if you're walking through the woods during winter. If you wake up a bear, you could have a really big surprise! |
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Our thanks to sciencemadesimple.com for information about animals' winter survival.
Quick QuizWhich of these animals migrates (moves) to a warmer place for the winter?
1) Rabbit 2) Horse 3) Goose 4) Bear 
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HEY, BUCKAROOS!
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