5 Animals Who Love the Cold
“…Here
are 5 compelling reasons to combat climate change.
1. Musk Ox
The
wooly musk ox weathers the frigid Arctic with the help of its insulating fur.
Layers
of hollow hair keep the 300-pound ox warm…The herd animal survives by foraging
for mosses, roots & lichens.
2. Wolverine
The
fierce wolverine has a unique connection to winter…these creatures raise their
young in springtime snowpack, ‘sometimes no lower than 8,000 feet high in the
mountain peaks.’
…the
wolverine has a population of only about 300 in the lower 48 states…
3. North American River Otter
The
cold doesn’t slow down the playful river otter…they rely on layered fur to stay
cozy, with a water-repellent outer layer & soft insulating hair underneath.
Otters
are extremely resilient during the winter. As the Shedd Aquarium notes:
During
the winter day, when temperatures are highest, river otters may travel more to
find open bodies of water where they can fish. When fish aren’t readily
accessible, river otters may root out hibernating frogs & turtles buried in
the mud…
If they
can’t find openings in the ice for fishing, river otters might tunnel into
beaver dams for access to open water. In late winter, water levels sometimes
drop below the ice, leaving an air space that lets them swim & hunt beneath
the ice.
4. Arctic Ground Squirrel
…the
Arctic ground squirrel hibernates during the winter…
As the
Scientific American notes, their bodies can drop ‘below the freezing point of
water’ when they’re curled up in burrows more than a meter underneath the
tundra. And winter’s effects on the squirrel’s brain is also intriguing…
5. Beluga Whales
Thick
blubber is one of the distinctive traits that keeps a beluga whale going in
freezing temperatures.
These
marine mammals also have a dorsal ridge instead of a fin to avoid heat loss
& injury by ice.”
Emily
Zak
Dec.
14, 2017
care2.com
Cute Critter Pic
Weekly Chuckle
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