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Test Your Knowledge About How Wildlife Prepares for Winter!
1. Which of the following animals does NOT migrate in the fall?
a) Black bear
b) Monarch butterfly
c) Gray whale
d) Caribou
2. How much weight can an adult male grizzly bear gain before winter?
a) 10 pounds
b) 50 pounds
c) 400 pounds
d) 1,000 pounds
3. Which letter of the alphabet does a flock of Canada Geese resemble while flying south before winter?
a) “A”
b) “V”
c) “W”
d) “S”
4. How do mosquitoes survive winter?
a) By migrating to warmer climates
b) By hiding in logs and burrows
c) By hibernating
d) Both b and c
5. What can you do at home, at school and in your community to help animals prepare for winter?
a) Keep a lookout for wildlife on roads while riding in a car
b) Stay a safe distance away from wildlife in the woods
c) Put out bird feeders and birdbaths
d) All of the above.
Fall Wildlife Watching!
Fall is a great time to watch for animals that are preparing for winter. Some are migrating from colder to warmer locations; others are stocking up on food and finding shelter. Head outdoors during nice weather this month to spot some local wildlife!
What you need:
- Clothing appropriate for the weather (rain jacket, hat, etc.)
- Your own backyard or a local park (try National Wildlife Refuges, Nature Centers, National Parks or Nature Find)
- Water and snacks
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
- An adult to go with you
- Binoculars (optional)
- A nature journal or notebook and pencils (optional)
- A camera (optional)
- A calendar (optional)
What to do:
- Be as quiet as possible and walk slowly through the woods, looking and listening for signs of wildlife. Near lakes or rivers, you may find signs of migratory birds stopping over for food, beavers building dams and lodges or snakes, turtles, frogs and insects on the move. In a meadow, keep a lookout for a rabbit, fox, deer or wild turkey. In the woods, listen for woodpeckers and look for deer and bear tracks in the mud. Use your binoculars to search in the distance.
- Draw a picture of an animal or insect in your sketchbook, write a description in your journal or take a picture to record what it looks like.
- Record your observations in a calendar. Next year, watch for wildlife at the same time of year at the same location. Are the animals active at the same time and place?
Remember to keep a safe distance from animals, and never approach or feed them.
How to help wildlife in the fall:
- Create shelter for them by leaving piles of branches and yard clippings in your backyard.
- Put up a bird house and line it with pine needles or cedar bark shavings for insulation. Provide bird food and fresh water for local birds that do not migrate.
- Plant a tree or bush that is native to your area to provide food and shelter.
Image: Canada Geese, courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A Tale of Two Summers: The Arctic Tern
The Arctic tern undergoes the longest migration of any animal on Earth. Each fall, the terns fly from breeding grounds in the Arctic (near the North Pole) all the way to Antarctica (near the South Pole). They return to the Arctic in the spring, making their total journey more than 44,000 miles each year. During its lifetime, an Arctic tern will fly a distance equal to going to the moon and back to Earth three times!
Arctic terns experience two summers every year: one in the Northern Hemisphere and one in the Southern Hemisphere. They spend more time in daylight than any other animal on Earth!
Top image by Kirk Rogers, courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Bottom image by Andreas Trepte, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Learn fun facts about how wildlife prepares for winter!
- Some types of frogs, including wood frogs, spring peepers and gray tree frogs, survive winter by burying themselves under fallen leaves during autumn. American toads burrow holes into leaves and mud. Watch out where you walk!
- Squirrels prepare for winter by gathering food and making nests in trees. Acorns (from oak trees) are their favorite food; squirrels gather thousands of them each season to eat or bury for later. Chipmunks also gather seeds and nuts in the fall to store for winter.
- Snakes, unlike mammals, are cold-blooded; their body temperature rises and falls with the temperature of their surroundings. In fall and early spring, they sun themselves on rocks and pavement to warm up. Rattlesnakes hibernate together in burrows to stay warm during winter.
Top image: American toad, courtesy of National Biological Information Infrastructure. Second image: “Lucy,” courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Third image: Petrified Forest National Park, courtesy of National Park Service.
Check out these cool tips and tools about animals preparing for winter!
Learn More About Wildlife in Fall
- Explore weather and climate and their effects on migration
- Read more about climate connections
- Learn about migration basics
- Check out the University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web for information, photos, maps and more
- Track animal migrations with Journey North
Image of American black bear courtesy of National Park Service.
Help Wildlife Prepare for Winter
- Create a backyard habitat for local animals
- Help birds by participating in Project Feeder Watch
- Add bird boxes, a birdbath and bird feeders to your yard and maintain them during the winter
- Watch out for animals on roads while your parents are driving during Give Wildlife a Brake week, November 1-7, 2010
- If you live in a tall building, ask your building manager to turn off lights during migration season. Bright lights can confuse birds that are migrating during the night.
Photo courtesy of National Public Lands Day.
Quiz Answers
1) a. Black bears survive winter by fattening up on extra food in fall and sleeping a lot during colder months. Other animals and insects, such as monarch butterflies, gray whales, caribou and many bird species, migrate to warmer climates to avoid winter. Migrating gray whales and humpback whales can be seen off the West Coast in fall, monarch butterflies can be seen in the middle and eastern United States, and Caribou can be seen in Alaska and Northern Canada in the fall.
2) c. Adult male grizzly bears, which live in the northern Rocky Mountains, northern Cascades, western Canada and Alaska, weigh around 600 to 1,000 pounds each. They eat extra food in the fall, such as berries, plant roots, mushrooms and insects, in order to survive hibernation. An adult grizzly will gain as much as 400 pounds to survive winter!
3) b. Flocks of Canada geese form “V” shapes while flying south for the winter. This aerodynamic shape helps reduce wind resistance for birds in the back of the formation and helps them conserve energy. The geese take turns being the leader. The “V” formation also allows the geese to see each other and keep track of every bird in the flock.
4) d. Mosquitoes in temperate climates like the United States survive winter. Like other insects, they are cold-blooded: their body temperature is nearly the same as the surrounding temperature. In the fall, mosquitoes mate. Male mosquitoes die and females lay eggs and hide in logs or animal burrows, where they hibernate for winter. Mosquito eggs and larvae can survive in moist soil during winter, even under snow and ice. They begin to grow in the spring once warm temperatures arrive.
5) d. Many animals are more active during fall, which means they might be more likely to cross roads. When riding in a car, keep a lookout for animals and ask the driver to be alert so as not to run into them. Also, some animals, such as moose and deer, mate in the fall. It is best to keep your distance from them since they can be more aggressive during this time. You can help local songbirds prepare for winter by putting out feeders, birdhouses and water.
