Northern Leopard Frog<\/h4>\n![\"Leopard](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/leopard-frog-david-neads-closeup-1100x640.jpg\")
Leopard Frog @ David Neads<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Northern Leopard Frog<\/a> will swim to the bottom of a lake or pond and hunker down. It\u2019s important for them to hibernate in water that\u2019s not going to freeze completely solid, because they don\u2019t want to freeze solid themselves if they can help it. When Old Man Winter arrives, these frogs will swim around a little, every so often, to get a burst of oxygen from the water.<\/p>\nCommon Garter Snake<\/h4>\n![\"garter](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/gartner-snake-1100x640.jpg\")
Garter Snake @ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSnakes<\/a> aren\u2019t quite as resilient to cold weather as amphibians, so their plan for winter is to find a warm place to call home. They\u2019ll look for rock crevices or even move their way deep into soil and cuddle up together to keep one another warm!<\/p>\nBlack Bear<\/h4>\n![\"black](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/black-bear-winter-1100x640.jpg\")
Black Bear in snow @ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBlack Bears<\/a> spend the winter in dens. These aren\u2019t HUGE caves, in fact they\u2019re usually only big enough to hold a bear lying down. Males and females feather their nests quite differently too. Females will line their dens with leaves, grass or ferns, while males will just snuggle up for the season without any material underneath them. Sounds slightly uncomfortable for the males, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\nBut actually\u2026 females have it pretty rough too. They\u2019ll often den with their young (if these bears are under a year old or so) and they even give birth to cubs in February or March. Luckily bears spend most of their time sleeping in the winter \u2013 they reduce their heart rates and even their breathing slows \u2013 so it\u2019s not too rambunctious in there.<\/p>\n
Northern Pike<\/h4>\n
Plenty of freshwater fish, like Northern Pike, will stay in open water over the winter. Because their bodies adapt to the cold temperature of the water around them, they aren\u2019t all that active. They might move their mouths or gills to get some oxygen in but that\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n
Little Brown Bat<\/h4>\n![\"little](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/little-brown-bat-myotis-resting-william-weber-1130479622-1100x640.jpg\")
Little Brown Bat \u00a9 William J. Weber<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOnly a few species actually<\/em> hibernate. The Little Brown Bat<\/a>, for example, has really mastered it and lives off of its own fat reserves during the colder months. These bats will seek out a place to stay for the winter (called a hibernacula) in early fall. They\u2019ll usually choose caves or even abandoned mines because these locations are a bit warmer. Then they\u2019ll slow their heart rates, breathing and even their metabolisms (meh-TAB-uh-liz-ums) which gives their bodies the energy they need to think and grow. Little Brown Bats will only wake up here and there to get a sip of water or to poop!<\/p>\nDrop<\/h3>\n
Some animals really can\u2019t take the cold weather at all and so they kind of check out \u2013 either through dying off and leaving it to their young to continue the species or by embracing the freeze!<\/p>\n
Bumblebee<\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/self-heal-bumblebee-500927805-1100x640.jpg\")
Bumblebee on All-heal @ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBumblebees<\/a> aren\u2019t able to stand the winter, and so they rely on their larvae to keep the species going. In fact, the bumblebee queen is the only living bumblebee to stay alive through the winter! They need her to stay strong through the colder temperatures so the colony can be built up again in the spring.<\/p>\nChorus Frog<\/h4>\n![\"\u00a9](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Chorus-Frog-2-Christine-Hanrahan-1100x640.jpg\")
Western Chorus Frog \u00a9 Christine Hanrahan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhile some toads and frogs will bury themselves under mud and soil to survive the winter, some aren\u2019t great diggers. The Chorus Frog<\/a>, for example, will do its best by finding a little hiding spot under leaves or even bark. But those places are still cold enough! So what do they do to survive? They adapt! Chorus Frogs are able to freeze nearly completely. Even their hearts and lungs can stop working but still, when spring comes, they\u2019ll thaw out and hop along their merry way.<\/p>\nKeep on Rollin\u2019<\/h3>\n
We\u2019ve talked about the critters who stop everything when the snow falls, but what about the animals who are real troopers? The ones who get out there<\/a> and move their bodies even in the coldest weather?<\/p>\nRuffed Grouse<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Ruffed](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/sherry-nigro-ruffed-grouse-1-1100x640.jpg\")
Ruffed Grouse \u00a9 Sherry Nigro | CWF Photo Club<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhile many birds will say goodbye to the snowy weather and travel south for the winter, some are happy to stay closer to home. The Ruffed Grouse, for example, isn\u2019t able to fly for long periods of time, so they\u2019re happy to stay in Canada. They just make a few changes! This bird will actually grow these bristly pieces of flesh on their feet for the cooler months. And these neat additions actually help them to walk on snow \u2013 kinda like snowshoes! They\u2019ll also hide away from predators and really nasty weather by seeking shelter in coniferous trees, shrubs and even deep snow.<\/p>\n
Snowy Owl<\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/photoclub.cwf-fcf.org\/ShowImage.aspx?img=photos\/Photo5069-sep2011-Bert-de-Tilly-Snowy-Owl.jpg\")
Snowy Owl @ Bert de Tilly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMany birds of prey decide to stick around during the freezing temperatures because they can still hunt in the snow. The Snowy Owl<\/a>, for example, is able to hear even the smallest mammals like Meadow Voles or Deer Mice under the snow!<\/p>\nSnowshoe Hare<\/h4>\n![\"snowshow](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/snowshoe-hare-1100x640.jpg\")
Snowshoe Hare @ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMany species have adapted to winter by looking a lot like it. The Snowshoe Hare<\/a> grows a really thick coat for the winter months that is entirely white! It helps that it\u2019s also extra warm. Their winter coats have three layers: a thick and silky underfur, longer buff-tipped hair and then finally an extra white and longer guard hair. Their coat is SO white that they might not even run away when faced with a predator. They might instead freeze in place and hope that they blend in with their snowy background.<\/p>\nMoose<\/h4>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.hww.ca\/kaboom\/images\/Mammals\/Moose\/Moose_Sandra-Forbes.jpg\")
Moose \u00a9 Sandra Forbes | hww.ca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMoose<\/a> have a hard time of it in the winter months. They can\u2019t get to the aquatic plants they usually chow down on, so they have a choice to make. Sometimes they decide to hunker down under shelter to save their energy and other times they have to get moving and find plant material to eat \u2013 like the twigs, shrubs and bark of poplars, Balsam Fir, Red Osier Dogwood as well as birch, willow and maple trees. But they often find themselves with grumbly tummies until spring arrives.<\/p>\nWhite-footed Mouse<\/h4>\n
Many small mammals rely on the snow to stay warm. Sounds crazy, right? But snow can actually hold a lot of warmth if you go deep enough. The White-footed Mouse will dig holes in the snow and burrow underneath together. Between the warmth they find under the snow and the body warmth they find next to each other, they\u2019re able to stay alive! They\u2019re even able to find food under there!<\/p>\n
Find out what kind of winter animal you are by taking this quiz!<\/a>\u00a0 And learn more about wildlife in winter at Hinterland Who\u2019s Who<\/a>.<\/h4>\n\u00a0By Annie Langlois and April Overall
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While some species decide to leave the region when winter lays its icy grip at our door, others brave the storm. Let\u2019s take a look at how some of these…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":8994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[631],"tags":[35,8766,383,8762,168,8764,8768,318,276,697,854],"class_list":["post-8997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-connect-with-nature","tag-black-bear","tag-bumblebee","tag-garter-snake","tag-leopard-frog","tag-little-brown-bat","tag-northern-pike","tag-ruffed-grouse","tag-snowshoe-hare","tag-snowy-owl","tag-western-chorus-frog","tag-wildlife-in-winter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8997"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12175,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8997\/revisions\/12175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The Northern Leopard Frog<\/a> will swim to the bottom of a lake or pond and hunker down. It\u2019s important for them to hibernate in water that\u2019s not going to freeze completely solid, because they don\u2019t want to freeze solid themselves if they can help it. When Old Man Winter arrives, these frogs will swim around a little, every so often, to get a burst of oxygen from the water.<\/p>\n Snakes<\/a> aren\u2019t quite as resilient to cold weather as amphibians, so their plan for winter is to find a warm place to call home. They\u2019ll look for rock crevices or even move their way deep into soil and cuddle up together to keep one another warm!<\/p>\n Black Bears<\/a> spend the winter in dens. These aren\u2019t HUGE caves, in fact they\u2019re usually only big enough to hold a bear lying down. Males and females feather their nests quite differently too. Females will line their dens with leaves, grass or ferns, while males will just snuggle up for the season without any material underneath them. Sounds slightly uncomfortable for the males, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n But actually\u2026 females have it pretty rough too. They\u2019ll often den with their young (if these bears are under a year old or so) and they even give birth to cubs in February or March. Luckily bears spend most of their time sleeping in the winter \u2013 they reduce their heart rates and even their breathing slows \u2013 so it\u2019s not too rambunctious in there.<\/p>\n Plenty of freshwater fish, like Northern Pike, will stay in open water over the winter. Because their bodies adapt to the cold temperature of the water around them, they aren\u2019t all that active. They might move their mouths or gills to get some oxygen in but that\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n Only a few species actually<\/em> hibernate. The Little Brown Bat<\/a>, for example, has really mastered it and lives off of its own fat reserves during the colder months. These bats will seek out a place to stay for the winter (called a hibernacula) in early fall. They\u2019ll usually choose caves or even abandoned mines because these locations are a bit warmer. Then they\u2019ll slow their heart rates, breathing and even their metabolisms (meh-TAB-uh-liz-ums) which gives their bodies the energy they need to think and grow. Little Brown Bats will only wake up here and there to get a sip of water or to poop!<\/p>\n Some animals really can\u2019t take the cold weather at all and so they kind of check out \u2013 either through dying off and leaving it to their young to continue the species or by embracing the freeze!<\/p>\n Bumblebees<\/a> aren\u2019t able to stand the winter, and so they rely on their larvae to keep the species going. In fact, the bumblebee queen is the only living bumblebee to stay alive through the winter! They need her to stay strong through the colder temperatures so the colony can be built up again in the spring.<\/p>\n While some toads and frogs will bury themselves under mud and soil to survive the winter, some aren\u2019t great diggers. The Chorus Frog<\/a>, for example, will do its best by finding a little hiding spot under leaves or even bark. But those places are still cold enough! So what do they do to survive? They adapt! Chorus Frogs are able to freeze nearly completely. Even their hearts and lungs can stop working but still, when spring comes, they\u2019ll thaw out and hop along their merry way.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve talked about the critters who stop everything when the snow falls, but what about the animals who are real troopers? The ones who get out there<\/a> and move their bodies even in the coldest weather?<\/p>\n Ruffed Grouse<\/strong><\/p>\n While many birds will say goodbye to the snowy weather and travel south for the winter, some are happy to stay closer to home. The Ruffed Grouse, for example, isn\u2019t able to fly for long periods of time, so they\u2019re happy to stay in Canada. They just make a few changes! This bird will actually grow these bristly pieces of flesh on their feet for the cooler months. And these neat additions actually help them to walk on snow \u2013 kinda like snowshoes! They\u2019ll also hide away from predators and really nasty weather by seeking shelter in coniferous trees, shrubs and even deep snow.<\/p>\n Many birds of prey decide to stick around during the freezing temperatures because they can still hunt in the snow. The Snowy Owl<\/a>, for example, is able to hear even the smallest mammals like Meadow Voles or Deer Mice under the snow!<\/p>\n Many species have adapted to winter by looking a lot like it. The Snowshoe Hare<\/a> grows a really thick coat for the winter months that is entirely white! It helps that it\u2019s also extra warm. Their winter coats have three layers: a thick and silky underfur, longer buff-tipped hair and then finally an extra white and longer guard hair. Their coat is SO white that they might not even run away when faced with a predator. They might instead freeze in place and hope that they blend in with their snowy background.<\/p>\n Moose<\/a> have a hard time of it in the winter months. They can\u2019t get to the aquatic plants they usually chow down on, so they have a choice to make. Sometimes they decide to hunker down under shelter to save their energy and other times they have to get moving and find plant material to eat \u2013 like the twigs, shrubs and bark of poplars, Balsam Fir, Red Osier Dogwood as well as birch, willow and maple trees. But they often find themselves with grumbly tummies until spring arrives.<\/p>\n Many small mammals rely on the snow to stay warm. Sounds crazy, right? But snow can actually hold a lot of warmth if you go deep enough. The White-footed Mouse will dig holes in the snow and burrow underneath together. Between the warmth they find under the snow and the body warmth they find next to each other, they\u2019re able to stay alive! They\u2019re even able to find food under there!<\/p>\n \u00a0By Annie Langlois and April OverallCommon Garter Snake<\/h4>\n
Black Bear<\/h4>\n
Northern Pike<\/h4>\n
Little Brown Bat<\/h4>\n
Drop<\/h3>\n
Bumblebee<\/h4>\n
Chorus Frog<\/h4>\n
Keep on Rollin\u2019<\/h3>\n
Snowy Owl<\/h4>\n
Snowshoe Hare<\/h4>\n
Moose<\/h4>\n
White-footed Mouse<\/h4>\n
Find out what kind of winter animal you are by taking this quiz!<\/a>\u00a0 And learn more about wildlife in winter at Hinterland Who\u2019s Who<\/a>.<\/h4>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"