Copyright 2011 Elizabeth M. Williams All rights reserved by
author. Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only. Not
for public display.
Slide 4
Winter In winter the weather gets colder, days get shorter and
snow covers the ground. People live in warm houses and wear warm
clothes outside. People get food from the grocery store. But what
happens to the animals? How do they keep warm? Where do they get
food?
Slide 5
What do animals do during the winter?
Slide 6
How do animals survive in the cold weather?
Slide 7
There are three ways animals survive the cold winter weather
Migrate Hibernate Adapt
Slide 8
Migrate - to move to a warmer place.
Slide 9
Migrate Many birds migrate or move to warmer places for the
winter months. They cant get to the food they eat because the ponds
are frozen or what they are used to eating is not available to them
in the winter. They travel to warmer places so they can find food.
Geese migrate south during the winter. Traveling for long distances
can be dangerous. Geese travel in groups in the shape of a V to
stay safe. Ducks, bluebirds and cranes migrate, too. But, not all
birds migrate. Cardinals, or redbirds, stay and adapt to their
environment.
Slide 10
Migrate Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico in the south to
escape the cold. They begin their trip in August. They stop to feed
on flowers on the way. They usually reach Mexico in late November
or December. Other insects that migrate are beetles and moths.
Slide 11
Migrate Some mammals migrate during the winter months. Caribou,
or reindeer, travel to find food. They use up the food supplies or
lose them to winter weather. They have to move to find more food.
They move north in the spring and south in the fall. Buffalo,
big-horned sheep, moose, and oxen are some other animals that
migrate in the winter to find food.
Slide 12
Hibernate -to hide and sleep during the winter months to avoid
the cold weather.
Slide 13
Hibernate Black bears hibernate or hide and sleep during the
winter months. They eat more than usual in the fall and gain a lot
of weight. Their body temperature lowers and their heart beat and
breathing slow down. They curl up in dens or caves and avoid the
cold winter by sleeping. Ground squirrels and groundhogs also
hibernate during winter.
Slide 14
Hibernate Some frogs hibernate during the winter months, too.
In order to escape the cold, they dig holes in the mud or find
cracks in logs or rocks. Like bears, their body temperature lowers
and their heart rate and breathing slow. Snakes and turtles are
winter hibernators, too.
Slide 15
Hibernate Some bats live in colder climates and hibernate
during the winter. They curl up in groups on the ceiling of caves
to avoid the cold. They also lower their body temperature and slow
their heart rate and breathing so they are able to sleep through
the long winter.
Slide 16
Adapt -to adjust or change to suit the cold, snowy surroundings
during the winter months.
Slide 17
Adapt
Slide 18
Some animals do not sleep the entire winter, but they do sleep
quite a bit, especially during the coldest part. They are called
nappers and snackers. They survive the winter by sleeping and
eating. They adapt or adjust to their surroundings by gathering
food and building winter homes. Chipmunks are nappers and snackers.
They burrow tunnels deep in the ground where they store the nuts
and seeds they have gathered for the winter. They build a bed of
grass and leaves under the ground. Then, they curl up and sleep
most of the winter. They wake up from time to time to eat and
venture out of their homes on the warmer days.
Slide 19
Adapt Tree squirrels also nap the winter away. These squirrels
adapt to the cold weather by gathering bunches of nuts to store
away. They build nests of leaves high up in trees and sleep during
winter. On warm winter days the squirrel wakes to look for nuts he
buried to eat during the winter. Badgers, beavers, muskrats, moles,
raccoons, skunks and opossums are nappers, too.
Slide 20
Adapt Some animals adapt or adjust to the cold by growing a
thicker coat. Deer get ready for the cold temperatures by eating
more and storing fat in the summer and fall and by shedding a
reddish summer coat for a much warmer, thicker winter coat. Deer
usually feed during the day when is it warmer and are less active
in bad weather so they can save their energy. Other animals that
adapt in this way are wolves and the red fox.
Slide 21
Adapt Some animals adapt or change to suit the cold winter
surroundings by using camouflage - changing their color to match
the surroundings. The fur of snowshoe rabbits gets thicker and
turns white like the surrounding snow. Blending in with the snow
helps the rabbit stay safe. The white color hides the rabbit and
makes it more difficult for predators - larger animals- to find
him.
Slide 22
Adapt The artic fox also adapts to the winter environment by
changing colors during the winter months. However, camouflaging
helps this animal in a different way. Arctic foxes are predators
animals that hunt and feed on smaller animals. Blending in with the
snow makes it difficult for prey smaller animals - to see the
Arctic fox. His white color allows him to hide in the snow and
sneak up on his dinner. Arctic foxes are particularly well adapted
to the cold Arctic habitat that they live in because they have
small bodies that conserve body heat and thick, dense winter fur.
They live in dens dug into the side of a hill, cliff or
riverbank.
Slide 23
Adapt The snowy owl is another predator that adapts to the
winter environment by blending in with the snow. They live and stay
in the cold Artic region during the winter unless their food
sources are scarce. The feet of snowy owls are covered with
feathers and have extra thick pads. Having well insulated feet is
important in the region where they live because it is so cold. And,
there are not many trees so the owls often have to nest and live on
the ground. Polar bears, seals and penguins also live in cold
climates and adapt to the winter weather.
Slide 24
All animals have a way to survive the winter. Surviving Winte
r
Slide 25
Three ways animals survive during the winter Adapt Hibernate
Migrate
Slide 26
Migrate - to move to a warmer place. Hibernate to hide and
sleep during the winter. Adapt to adjust or change to better suit
the surroundings.
