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Wildlife

10 Extraordinary Animal Tactics for Surviving the Cold

from Wildlife Promise

10 2/27/2008 // Danielle Brigida // , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Whether they hibernate, have thick fur coats or take shelter, animals are masters of surviving the cold weather. Here are a number of interesting animals and the fascinating things they do to survive harsh conditions.

  1. Japan’s macaques monkeys keep warm by taking hot baths in volcanic springs.
  2. Polar bears (or “solar bears“) soak up the sun with their black skin, which is covered by a coat of  clear hair that conducts the sun’s heat. Not to mention they also have a handy 4 inches of fat to
    insulate them.
  3. Animals will also flock to warmth created by humans, such as pigeons in Chicago that huddle around the Eternal Flame and manatees that seek out warm water discharge from power plants.
  4. Aside from having blubber, penguins avoid losing energy and heat when they exhale by using special nasal passages to reclaim the warm air.
  5. Some honey bees huddle together to make a winter cluster in order to keep warm.
  6. Bees aren’t the only ones that huddle together, even bats and ladybugs will huddle for warmth in a safe place.
  7. Various plants depend on snow to trap heat and insulate them from cold winds.
  8. Seals have a special set of blood vessels that function to conserve heat.
  9. Occasionally some fish will use a natural anti-freeze to keep from freezing in low temperatures.
  10. When water is scarce, wild bactrian camels will eat snow.

Despite all these adaptations you can still do your part to help wildlife survive the winter in your own backyard. Here’s a few bird feeding tips.