Beech Tree News Network

How do animals survive the winter? My daughters and I were texting about this subject recently. So, I did some reading about various animals’ winter survival methods. Although I knew much of what I read, I found a few details that I had forgotten or never knew.

An article in Science News, “Eight Ways that Animals Survive the Winter,” listed migration, hibernation, stocking up, and huddling together, all logical survival methods. Another means of survival is subnivium, or living in the space between the snow and the ground. The author stated: “Invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and even birds hide out in this warmer region, living off the vegetation they find there.” Interestingly, scientists have found that the Alaskan wood frogs survive the freezing temperatures by having higher levels of sugar, urea (a urine waste product), and a third chemical that act together like antifreeze, lowering the temperature at which the frogs would freeze.

On another website I found a chart, “How 34 Different Animals Survive through the Winter,” containing information about various animals’ winter survival methods. Some animals stay active all winter, some migrate, and some change colors for better insulation and camouflage. Many, such as chipmunks and bears, hibernate in burrows or dens. Ladybugs cluster together in homes, under tree bark, etc. A chickadee’s brain expands by around 30% each winter, helping them remember where they hid stores of food. Most fish descend to the bottom of the water and remain mostly motionless to conserve energy. Garter snakes gather in communal piles under shelter like logs, rock piles and spaces under roads. The Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs (native to Madagascar) settle in trees for about seven months and live off the fat in their tails, losing close to 40% of their body weight.

On the Science Made Simple website, I found an informative article entitled “How Do Animals Survive the Winter? Hibernate, Migrate and Adaptation.”  Hibernation is a special, deep sleep. The animal's body temperature drops, and its heartbeat and breathing slow down. It uses very little energy. Some animals hibernate for part or all of the winter. Some hibernators store food, like nuts or acorns, to eat later in the winter. Migration, moving to warmer locations where food is more plentiful, is also common. The authors stated that in addition to birds, fish and some insects, a few mammals also migrate, such as bats, caribou, elk, and whales. Earthworms travel, too: they move downward. Adapting to winter weather may involve changes in animal behavior (such as food choice) or changes in their bodies (such as thickness or color of fur). One of the most interesting places insects overwinter is in a gall. A gall is a swelling on a plant. It is caused by certain insects, fungi or bacteria. They make a chemical that affects the plant's growth in a small area, forming a lump. The gall becomes its maker's home and food source.

On the This Is My Garden website, information about the honey bee is available. A website posting explained that to keep from freezing, honey bees form what is called a cluster inside the hive. A cluster is a big ball of bees and is formed right around their stores of honey so that food is close at hand. It is not unusual for a cluster to need approximately 40-60 pounds of honey to keep warm. Just like when they swarm, bees form a protective cluster around the queen. In the winter hive, it is done to keep the queen and bees from freezing. A winter cluster is designed with one purpose in mind, to keep the core temperature between 92 and 94 degrees. The center of the cluster is the queen bee herself, and without her survival, the colony would collapse and die. Honey bees keep their hives in the 92-94 degree range all year long – whether it’s 2 degrees or 100 degrees outside. In the summer, they cool the hive by flapping their wings at high rates of speed. When forming the wintertime cluster, the oldest bees always form on the outside of the cluster. This is done to keep the strongest of the bees alive towards the warmer inner core. If the older bees perish, they simply fall off the cluster. Also, the only time bees leave the hive in the winter is when the outside temperature climbs to 55 degrees or higher. These flights are called cleansing flights for the bees. In essence, they use them to finally go to the bathroom, not wanting to do so inside of their hive.

James Rollins said, “Always respect Mother Nature. Especially when she weighs 400 pounds and is guarding her baby.” Nature is life and death as well as beautiful and creepy. In the Bible after God made living creatures, it says, “…And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25). Aren’t animals’ winter survival methods amazing?