Examine the preparation measures taken by foraging pikas and hibernating ground squirrels
Some animals prepare for winter by stocking up on food, while others plan to sleep through the cold months.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.It's a total eclipse of the Moon.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The die-off of the dinosaurs is different from the extinction of the dodo.
-
© Open University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Learn about the element of indeterminacy in Niels Bohr's interpretation of quantum mechanics and about Albert Einstein's objections to indeterminacy.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the pika (genus Ochotona), including how it maintains a den during the winter and gives birth in the spring.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Bite or be bitten.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The venom of the male platypus may reveal new ways to treat pain in humans.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Plot twist: bears aren't true hibernators.Media Editor: Miranda Chabot
Transcript
NARRATOR: The pika gets ready for winter, like the beaver, by storing food next to its home. The pika builds a large haystack of grasses, leaves, and flowers. This will be its food supply when its burrow is covered with snow.
The ground squirrel also prepares for winter. It looks for the last green grass of autumn before winter comes. During the cold winter months it will go into a deep sleep in an underground den. This sleep is called hibernation.
As the snow becomes deeper, animals that stored food in the autumn stay in their shelters beneath the thick blanket of snow. In a lodge woven of sticks and mud, the beaver snacks on a branch. This came from the food supply it stocked during the autumn. This food supply must last all winter. In another dry burrow beneath the heavy snow, the pika enjoys the shelter of its rocky den. It nibbles on the food it stored in autumn. In their rocky den, many rattlesnakes have gathered together. They will sleep through the cold winter days. The ground squirrel also sleeps soundly. It does not eat during the winter months, but slowly draws on energy stored in its body. When an animal hibernates, it uses much less energy than when it is active.
The ground squirrel also prepares for winter. It looks for the last green grass of autumn before winter comes. During the cold winter months it will go into a deep sleep in an underground den. This sleep is called hibernation.
As the snow becomes deeper, animals that stored food in the autumn stay in their shelters beneath the thick blanket of snow. In a lodge woven of sticks and mud, the beaver snacks on a branch. This came from the food supply it stocked during the autumn. This food supply must last all winter. In another dry burrow beneath the heavy snow, the pika enjoys the shelter of its rocky den. It nibbles on the food it stored in autumn. In their rocky den, many rattlesnakes have gathered together. They will sleep through the cold winter days. The ground squirrel also sleeps soundly. It does not eat during the winter months, but slowly draws on energy stored in its body. When an animal hibernates, it uses much less energy than when it is active.