![]() The species typically lives in coniferous and deciduous forests. Sap, tree bark, fruits and flowers factor into the red squirrel's diet as well. Sometimes, these require a bit of prep work red squirrels have been known to pluck shrooms at ground level and then hang them out to dry on tree branches before chowing down. When autumn comes, both predator and prey will - you guessed it - die.Mushrooms are a favorite treat. Then they emerge as full-fledged dragonflies and spend the summer eating mosquitoes and the like. It’s a whirlwind romance, because within a couple of weeks that bucket gets kicked.ĭragonflies also lead a strangely scheduled life: They spend their first three to five years underwater as small bugs called nymphs. Once they emerge as moths, though, their bucket list is short: find a mate and lay eggs. That’s how long it can take to develop the chemicals needed to cocoon. If all goes well, it can live eight or even up to 12 years, a long life by bug standards. The woolly bear caterpillar spends its winters frozen like a tree frog. For others, winter’s arrival is a buzzkill, literally. Some insects hibernate or become dormant. “I have seen hundreds of snakes come out at once,” Thao said. People who suffer from ophidiophobia (fear of snakes, the most common phobia, affecting about a third of adult humans) might want to avoid a certain point on the Mendota trail in Fort Snelling State Park on the first really warm days of late April or early May. If you happen to be in just the right place at just the right time, you can see a slew of snakes simultaneously slithering from their secluded sleeping spaces. Snakes spend winters in crevices and other protected spots, generally in groups. “I have seen turtles, especially painted turtles, start walking on ice,” Thao said. ![]() Turtles bury themselves in the mud until late February or March, emerging before spring weather has fully arrived. If a wood frog or spring peeper gets stepped on in its frozen state, its body could break. Assuming, that is, that they spent the winter sufficiently sheltered against cold and disturbance. When spring comes, rising temperatures zap their hearts back into action, their bodies thaw and they go about their business. Some frogs actually freeze solid their individual cells protected by body chemicals. To the uninformed, this movement - hopping into the snow with their front paws - might look like frolicking. When canine predators hear a rodent, they pounce. Those predators have keen hearing (also, in the owl’s case, good eyesight) and can detect tiny scurrying paws even through the snow. A layer of snow keeps their tunnels a comfortable temperature and offers concealment - unless they get nabbed by an owl, wolf, fox or coyote. Rabbits and squirrels hibernate just briefly, in extreme cold.įor the mice, voles and other small rodents that stay active in winter (or at least emerge occasionally for food), winter is a relatively safe time of year. Still, they also wake up from time to time to snack on acorns and seeds collected the previous fall. As they curl up in some out-of-the-way spot, their hearts slow to a few beats per minute, their body temperatures drop almost as low as the surrounding air. ![]() Ground squirrels and chipmunks practice true hibernation, maintaining only essential bodily functions. The mother stays somewhat alert, moving as needed to let the cubs nurse without squishing them. At birth, the cubs weigh less than a pound, have only a light covering of fur, and can barely crawl. To prepare to provide milk, the mother bear stores fat and other nutrients as cold weather approaches, then loses a third or more of her body weight over the winter while nursing. A sleep-deprived human mother might envy her ursine counterpart those postpartum months when the mom gets to doze while her cubs nurse. ![]() They wake up every now and then.įemale black bears give birth in the winter. Their body temperature and heart rate drop by only about 10 percent. What bears do sounds closer to what we call sleep, except in longer stretches. People often think of bears as the classic hibernators, Thao said, but in fact “bears are not true hibernators at all.” Hibernation involves extremely low body temperature and heart rates. Here are some of Thao’s tales of winter survival that will renew your appreciation for central heating and pizza delivery. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |