Where Do Animals Go In Winter?

Hi everybody and welcome to another episode of Curious by Nature. My name is Becca and today we're going to explore how different animals survive Chicago winter. We'll take a close look at squirrels, turtles, and hummingbirds to think about three different winter survival strategies. Let's head to the woodland to meet our first animal, the squirrel. First let's take a look at the woodland closely to compare what this place is like in the summer versus what it's like in the winter. What do you notice about the woodland in the summer? The trees have green leaves, the sun is shining, and it looks like it'd be pretty warm too. What do you notice about the woodland in the winter? The trees have dropped their leaves, it's snowy and cloudy, and it looks like it'd be cold. And now we'll take a good look at squirrel and its features to figure out how it survives in the winter. Interesting, look at this soft fur. This fur and fuzzy tail keeps the squirrel warm on cold winter days. Oh, I'm also noticing some sharp claws. Those would be good for climbing to and from their nests high up in trees. We call a squirrel's nest a dray and they have no problem climbing even in the snow with those claws. Claws are also good for digging up food. Have you ever seen a squirrel burying an acorn before? In the late summer and fall they store food underground so they can dig it up during the winter when there's less food available. Let's take a final peek at squirrel to check out its teeth. Wow, look at these teeth. Strong rodent teeth let squirrels eat lots of foods including tough seeds and nuts that they've stored. These tough foods are much of what they eat in the winter. So how do squirrels survive in the Woodlander Park during the winter? The squirrel strategy is to just stay active in the winter. In the winter here in Chicago it can meet all of its needs. Next let's head to the prairie to look at our second animal, the hummingbird. What changes do you notice in the prairie from summer to winter? It looks like the green, yellow, and purple we saw in the summer is now all brown and dry. The plants don't seem to be growing. Let's look at hummingbird next. Do you see those wings? Wow, they flutter so fast and look at that long tube-like beak. It looks like it's using it to sip nectar from inside the flower. That must be its food, but we don't see any flowers in the prairie in the winter. So how would hummingbirds get their food then? So how does the hummingbird survive in the prairie during the winter? The hummingbird strategy is to actually leave. Like we noticed, hummingbirds can't get what they need in the prairie during the winter. There are no blooming flowers, so there are no places where they can find that nectar to drink. Instead, hummingbirds in Chicago migrate and fly to another place where they can get their food during the winter months. Now let's head to our last place, the pond, to meet our third animal, the turtle. How does the pond change from summer to the winter season? Oh yeah, in the winter there's ice on the pond. The plants around the pond aren't growing and are brown. Did you notice turtles on the pond in the summer? Hmm, I didn't see them out in the winter. I wonder where they went. Let's take a closer look at turtle together to find out more about how they survive the winter. I see turtle nose above the water and their throats are moving too. They must have lungs and breathe air. Then I wonder how they survive when the pond is covered in ice. Maybe they do something like squirrels or hummingbirds? Hmm, turtles can walk and swim, but turtles definitely don't have wings and those legs couldn't easily carry turtles far enough to avoid the snow and ice, so it didn't migrate. Alright, so maybe its strategy is to stay active like squirrels. Hmm, turtles have a shell and scaly skin, but no fur. It would be hard for turtles not to freeze out in the cold weather. On a mild winter day, we might see turtle out and active when it's warm and sunny, but what about most of the winter when it's not sunny or warm? We didn't see any turtles out on the winter pond earlier. I wonder how does the turtle survive in the pond during the winter? The turtle's winter strategy is to brumate, which is kind of like reptile hibernation. In the winter, the ice on top of the pond keeps the temperature of the water below warmer than freezing. The turtle's body slows way down. Because it isn't using as much much energy, it doesn't need to eat as often. And what about breathing? It uses a structure called its cloaca to breathe. People sometimes nickname animals that use this strategy butt breathers. Animals have lots of different strategies for surviving the winter. What winter survival strategies have you observed? Let us know what you're seeing where you live in the comments below. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to give it a like and subscribe to the Nature Museum's channel so you never miss an episode. If you want to learn more about some local animals or how other species deal with winter weather, you can check out these videos. We'll see you back here next time on Curious by Nature.