Burrr it’s cold…How do animals survive winter?

Hello Wild Side Readers,

For many, winter is a time for huddling in warm blankets and sweaters, and dreaming of warmer weather. Of all the seasons, I hear the most complaints about winter. It makes me wonder, without being overly anthropomorphic, if wildlife species share the same dour attitudes towards Old Man Winter. Or is winter to them just another time of the year that requires certain strategies to be successful?

For some species, winter can indeed be challenging. Fortunately, wildlife have many adaptations that help them survive winter. In the below presentation, I discuss a few. From down jackets to frozen frogs, the abilities Ohio wildlife employ during the cold winter months are nothing short of impressive!

Winter Wildlife Adaptations recorded presentation

During the presentation, I shared several resources to learn more about winter wildlife adaptations:

The Great Migration video – Sandhill crane stopover at Audubon Nebraska’s Rowe Sanctuary

Birdcast – migration maps and live tracking of migration

Migration Science article – from Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website

White-nose Syndrome website – U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Webinar on Creating a Living Landscape for Wildlife in Your Backyard 

• Additional Living Landscape webinars

Nest Box Plans for Wildlife – ODNR, Division of Wildlife

Recommended Books:

• Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner – for the kiddos
• Life in the Cold by Peter J. Marchand
• Winter World by Bernd Heinrich

Enjoy and stay warm out there! Spring is just a month (or so) away!

Marne Titchenell

Wildlife Program Specialist