Where Do the Wild Things Go in Winter?
In winter, humans have three options to handle the limited daylight and colder temperatures. If you’re lucky, you might spend some time in the southern climes of the country – basking on the beaches in Daytona or working on your golf swing in Hilton Head. Some hunker down, laying low and finding it harder to resist that midday nap. However, most of us probably just deal with it -or dare we say, enjoy it! Bundling up in extra socks and long johns - not to mention the hats, mittens, and scarves - we make our way out into the elements, happy whether we are greeted by the sun or a snowstorm.
Interestingly enough, our wild brethren are faced with the same three options. The only difference is their choice is determined by the genes passed down from their ancestors. Animals can either migrate, hibernate, or tolerate to make the most of (read: survive) the next few months.
Animals that “tolerate” the winter have certain adaptations that allow them to stand the snow and frigid air. Think about all the birds that are visiting your feeders. Black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, and white-breasted nuthatches all weigh in at under an ounce, but they seem happy as clams flitting over the snow. To survive, birds puff up their feathers, grow more down or pack on the fat to act as insulation, and tuck their feet up underneath their feathers. They can also huddle together for warmth. Have you ever watched a goose or gull walking on ice and wonder how on Earth they don’t freeze? The trick is countercurrent heat exchange. As blood in the arteries travels out into the feet, it runs parallel to the veins carrying the cool blood back into the main part of the animal. The heat moves across the blood vessels, ensuring that the blood is warmed as it returns to the body.
Birds aren’t the only ones that tough out Ohio’s winters. A variety of mammals also have a few tricks up their furry sleeves to make it through to spring. The main one being just that – fur! The red fox, racoon, and skunk will all grow a thicker coat to provide and maintain warmth. Beavers not only grow a thicker coat but use an oil called castoreum to help keep it waterproof. This allows them to continue swimming in frigid water all winter long.
Even though a good number of our animals can make it through the winter, not all of them would survive if they stayed. Another option is migration or moving to another location for the season. We are probably most familiar with migrating birds. If you’ve ever been to Berlin Lake Trail in May, you know that Portage County is in the path of all those returning warblers. But where specifically do they go when they “fly south”? The truth is, all over! Ruby-throated hummingbirds can end up in Panama. Black-and-white warblers can make it to the Caribbean. Yellow warblers can fly all the way to Peru. Think about that! A bird that weighs less than two nickels will fly thousands of miles, all because their genes and circadian rhythm tells them to.
Funnily enough, some birds make it to Ohio and find it to be quite balmy here! These are the birds that spend their “warm” season up north, sometimes way up north! Red-Breasted Nuthatches and Dark-Eyed Juncos visit us from Canada for the winter. Snowy Owls call the Artic Circle home and, in a sense, consider Ohio their Florida.
Although birds are the first to come to mind, there are other winged creatures that make great journeys. Monarchs are great example, as they leave Ohio and head for the oyamel fir trees of central Mexico. Silver-haired and hoary bats, our more solitary species, also head south when the temperatures start to dip.
An animal’s final option is hibernation, that long restful “nap” that will carry an animal through until temperatures are rising and food is becoming more abundant. Most people associate this habit with bears, but did you know we don’t have any evidence of bears hibernating in Ohio? Bears generally enter a state of torpor, or lowered activity, during the harshest parts of the season. Skunks, raccoons, chipmunks, and squirrels will also enter torpor. This allows them to rest but also lets them get up to drink water or respond to threats. Hibernation is much deeper, significantly lowering their breathing and metabolic rates. Groundhogs and little brown bats are among Ohio’s true hibernators.
This is all well and good for our warm-blooded friends, but what about the reptiles and amphibians? We certainly haven’t seen a garter snake sunning itself recently, so what happens to them this time of year? They undergo their own form of hibernation known as brumation.
Wood Frogs are a personal favorite of the Portage Park District staff, as anyone who earned their 2023 Wild Hikes medallion can attest. These little critters find a cozy spot under the leaf litter and freeze solid! That’s right – no breathing, no heartbeat. Scientists have discovered that is the sugary glucose that keeps their cells from being damaged. What they haven’t figured out is what restarts their heart. In the spring, the frogs thaw out and hop away, like they just didn’t spend the last few months as a froggy icicle.
Aquatic turtles are interesting - they will bury themselves in the mud in a body of water, which seems problematic because turtles breathe oxygen! As they sink into the mud, and lower their metabolism, they are able to survive by respiring (exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen) from pores near their mouth and tails. What is extra interesting is that they stay conscious this whole time! Talk about being left alone with your thoughts!
Ohio winters pose quite a few challenges for our native animals, but they have managed to come up with a variety of ways to deal with those challenges. Whether they are migrating, tolerating, hibernating or brumating, Ohio animals are sources of wonder all season long.