Welcome Back!

Hello everyone!

I hope that you were able to experience some of the joys of winter over your break. I know I have. Jeff and I had several blue sky days and also a great visit from our friends. We were able to get lots of work done over at the hotel, so I would say it was a successful week. Also, Santa found us way out here in the mountains. He brought us an Aerogarden which is used to grow fresh herbs in the house! Well, I asked you some questions before you went on break, and I have answered the same questions myself.

What animals did I see? Unfortunately, the only animals I saw were the bighorn sheep. We have been getting a lot of snow and wind lately, so I think they are staying sheltered.

What types of birds did I see? I saw a couple of crows and a magpie.

How much snow is there on the ground? There is about three feet of snow in most places. We also have huge snow drifts, including one that is almost as high as our roof!

What kinds of tracks did I see in the snow? I saw bighorn sheep tracks, coyote tracks, and snowshoe hare tracks. Oh, and I saw human tracks too (mine and Jeff's).

How much did it snow over break? We got a couple of feet of powdery snow out here.

Do I like winter? I didn't think I liked winter before I came out here, but it is actually nice. It is very quiet out here, and there are so many things to do in the winter, like sledriding, skiing, ice fishing, and ice skating!

What are my favorite winter activities? I really like ice skating and snowshoeing.

Now, I promised you that I would talk about how some species adapt to the winter elements. First, let’s talk about one species you should know very much about. HUMANS! What are some ways that we deal with the cold weather of winter?

I can think of a few ways. Some of us stay inside as much as possible. Many, many years ago, humans learned to build shelters to protect themselves from the sometimes harsh elements. When we do go outside in the winter, we layer our clothing to stay warm. We wear hats, gloves, and scarves to protect ourselves from the elements. Some of us even migrate. I myself have experienced this. In fact this is my first winter in a few years. Like I have mentioned before, I’ve moved to Hawaii and Florida for the winter before. Some people who grow gardens in the summer time dehydrate or can their fruits and vegetables for winter consumption. We also have invented things to help us get along better in the snow, like snowshoes and skis.

Some of these activities and characteristics are also displayed by other species. Most species display one of the following characteristics to survive the winter: migration, hibernation, or adaption. For example, many birds migrate south in the winter and some bears den up.

Animals that stay in Glacier NP in the winter are classified in two ways, those that are active, and those that are dormant. Dormancy ranges from short term (torpor) to long term (hibernation). Some examples of animals that are dormant for a short term are skunks and badgers. They become dormant only when weather is truly extreme and food is very scarce. I know that you have an idea of what hibernation is, but let me define it for you. Hibernation is a physical state where an animal’s body functions slow down in order to conserve energy through a season of no food and water, and cold temperatures. Think about when you are sleeping. You burn very few calories when you sleep and require no food or water. Now hibernation is quite extreme compared to a normal night’s sleep, but it is the same idea. Animals spend all summer putting on extra fat to burn while they are hibernating. Animals that hibernate may wake up and walk around during the winter, but the majority of the winter they are in a deep slumber. Columbian ground squirrels and marmots (I showed you pictures of these) actually have drastically reduced body temperatures while they are hibernating. A ground squirrel’s body temperature can lower to 39 degrees while hibernating compared to the normal of 90 degrees while active. Isn’t that amazing? This reduced body temperature also slows other things like their heartbeat and breathing. Ground squirrels may breathe only once every four to six minutes while hibernating. I once did an experiment in college where I slowly lowered the water temperature in a gold fish bowl. The colder the water got, the slower the goldfish’s breathing got. It got to the point where the goldfish would only breathe once every minute or two. As I slowly raised the temperature of the water, the goldfish’s breathing increased again. It is a neat process.

Now a bear’s bodily functions are also slowed, but they do not have a reduced body temperature. Bears are able to deal with the cold temperatures by growing a warm, thick coat of fur. A bear’s metabolism drops by half and their digestive system becomes much less active. This means that bears are able to sleep for months without eating, drinking, and you know what. I have been here for two months now and have not seen one bear! I think it is probably because most are already slumbering away. It makes me feel a bit safer, that’s for sure.

Now, not all animals hibernate. Animals like wolves, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and moose are still around. These animals are able to survive the winter because they adapt to the conditions. First, these animals have nice warm fur coats. Each spring many animals like these shed their winter coats. They look mangy and kind of ugly actually. Almost as soon as they are done shedding their winter coats, they begin growing new ones for the next winter. Out here in Montana, winter seems to last a lot longer than the summer does! I must say, come September the mountains goats look so beautiful in their thick, shiny white coats. These animals also change their location slightly. Mountain goats move to southern facing slopes where the sun melts some of the snow off. They can also survive by eating lichens and moss when necessary. Bighorn sheep come down from the higher elevations to seek food out on the lower plains. Animals like the pika, a small rodent, stock pile their food all summer so that they will have enough to make it through the winter.

The last winter characteristic is migration. I know you have all seen migrating birds. Often times the Canada geese migrate south for the winter. Now think, are there any species of birds that you see in the summer time but not in the winter time? Birds may migrate hundreds and even thousands of miles to their winter homes. It is believed that the amount of daylight is what triggers the birds to migrate. There are 92 species of birds in Glacier NP in the summertime, and only 28 of these species are common winter residents. For example, the Clark’s Nutcracker flies south for the winter. I saw some Canadian geese just about four weeks ago on the lake. This was when there was still a patch of open water in the middle. I haven’t seen them since the lake has frozen over completely. They must have headed South.

Birds that do brave the winters in Glacier NP and back home in Pennsylvania have a few adaptions for surviving the winters. Birds fluff out their feathers which creates a layer of air to keep them warm. Others roost in tree cavities, and birds like grouse hunker down in the snow on cold nights. Plus, many birds store extra food to get them through the cold, harsh nights. The ptarmigan (alpine cousin to the grouse) is the only bird that remains above tree line in the winter. The ptarmigan’s feathers turn from brown (its summer plumage) to white in the winter in order to hide from predators. Its feathered feet act as snowshoes, and it feeds off of willow buds and subalpine fir needles. Ptarmigans are not the only species that turns white. Snowshoe hares and weasels also share this characteristic.

Assignment: Understanding how animals survive the winter.

Were you paying attention? What are the three different characteristics animals dispay in order to survive the winter?

Check out this site below. These are examples of animals that have adapted.
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Photos/Arctic-animals


1. How have these animals adapted to their winter environments?

2. What are some ways animals adapt beside changes in color?

3. Why do some birds migrate?

Below is a list of animals. Using a large piece of poster paper, your teacher will make a chart for you to fill in. The chart should have three columns that read hibernate, migrate, and adapt. I want you to place each animal in the correct category. If you do not know what some of the animal are, look them up. For the animals that adapt to winter, explain how. Think of one species for each category that is not listed below.

1. ptarmigans
2. ground squirrels
3. whitetail deer
4. bald eagles
5. mice
6. wood ducks
7. frogs
8. mormots
9. hummingbirds
10. swallows
11. elk
12. raccoons

Bonus: Which of the three characteristics does a bee use?

See you soon!