Did you ever wish you could have a sneak peek into the dark and mysterious places where hibernating animals retreat for the winter? You do see animals making preparations for winter—eating more, growing more luxurious fur, and gathering natural materials to line their dens—but there’s a lot more to know about animals’ many ways of surviving winter’s woes. It’s not simply a matter of getting fatter and furrier and hunkering down somewhere to … [Read more...]
Waking Up to Do the Wild Thang
Mornings can be downright rough for some of us, which makes that “snooze” button one of humankind’s greatest inventions. Imagine how it feels for wildlife species that spend winter in the deep slumber of hibernation—or even torpor, a milder version of hibernation—when they get that annual wake-up call from Nature that simply can’t be ignored. They are commanded to wake up, go forth, and do the wild thang on behalf of helping perpetuate their … [Read more...]
Hibernate, Migrate, Adapt—Wildlife Winter Survival
Winter is rarely easy for anyone, but you may wonder sometimes just how wild animals make it through, lacking heat, cozy blankets, and hot chocolate or coffee to keep warm. As it turns out, they’ve evolved a fascinating array of physical or behavioral adaptations to either avoid or cope with winter’s woes. Naturalists sometimes simplify the approaches into three main categories: migrate, hibernate, and adapt, and there are all kinds of variations … [Read more...]