Late fall. Wild animals are preparing for winter

This is the body’s reaction to temperature changes; in other words, it is a way of survival, characterized by a decrease in body temperature and a reduction in heart rate.

In preparation for sleep, animals store up fat and prepare a shelter that is well protected from predators. During hibernation, an animal's body temperature can drop 10 times its normal temperature. So, for example, the temperature of a dormouse (a small rodent) drops from 38 degrees to 3.7. The heart slows down to 3 – 5 beats per minute, and in California ground squirrels it can even drop to one beat. Breathing decreases 10 times. In general, all body activity is reduced to a minimum.

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Hibernation in cold-blooded animals (snakes, frogs, lizards)

The most amazing preparation for hibernation occurs in cold-blooded animals. As the body cools, ice forms in their organs. This is very strange, because the animal can die from dehydration, or burst from the ice piercing them. However, the American wood frog does an excellent job of this: it fills its body with glycogen, which guarantees the safety of its organs. In the spring, the frog simply thaws and uses glucose (which is obtained from glycogen) for energy. But some amphibians survive the winter at the bottom of reservoirs, burrowing into or breathing through their skin.

Interesting fact : Snakes, turtles, lizards and frogs can be put into hibernation on their own. You just need to lower the temperature and change the light mode.

Hibernation of Arctic ground squirrel, prairie dog and bear

But the hibernation of the ground squirrel, prairie dog and the bear is not considered hibernating. You can call this a "nap" as they can be easily woken up. Yes, all the vital functions of their body also slow down, but at the level of ordinary sleep. It is clear that fat and food reserves are the key to the survival of these animals during hibernation. A bear can consume up to 20,000 calories in one day and accumulate about 15 cm of fat over the summer. It would seem that what could disturb him in winter?

How a wolf prepares for winter, you will learn from this article.

How does a wolf prepare for winter?

Let's say right away that wolves do not hibernate in winter and their activity does not decrease. They endure the cold season on their paws. But still, some changes occur with wolves.

Wolves, like other wild animals, for example, a hare, do not change the color of their fur coat. After all, they are predators and protective color They simply don’t need fur coats. Only its thickness changes - the fur becomes very fluffy and thick. This allows wild beast maintain body temperature and survive even severe frosts and winds.

Another feature that helps animals survive in conditions harsh winter, is the low thermal conductivity of fur (1.2-1.5 times lower than the thermal conductivity of muskrat and beaver skins).

As winter approaches, wolves begin to gather in packs. This makes it much easier to survive in winter by getting your own food. It is easier to hunt in a pack, which they successfully do, chasing wild boars, hares and roe deer. The diameter of the area occupied by the flock in winter is usually 30-60 kilometers. In spring and summer, when the flock breaks up, the territory occupied by it is divided into several fragments.

A pack of wolves in the autumn-winter season can consist of two old ones, 3-6 young ones and 2-4 young ones, that is, 7-12 individuals, rarely more.

Life Explorers wild wolves noticed interesting fact- in preparation for winter, wolves begin to dig up moles, bite the animals and bury them back, so that in winter they can find this treasure and feast on it, if things get really bad.

With the onset of cold weather animals, birds and insects are preparing to face winter. And everyone in their own way - nature taught them this. Hares, squirrels, roe deer molt and put on warmer fur coats, gophers, jerboas, marmots climb into deep holes and fall asleep. Immersed in winter dream frogs, toads, newts, lizards, snakes. The shellfish are freezing.

Do you know where crayfish spend the winter? In deep niches or dug holes. However, they are not in a hurry to winter.

Insects complete their development cycle, hide in shelters, become numb, and thus survive the winter. ladybugs- destroyers of harmful aphids - crawl into cracks, crevices, under the bark of trees, into moss, under fallen leaves. They often fly into houses, cellars, sheds, and attics. Many insects climb into hollow plant stems and spend the winter there. Some insect pests hide under fallen leaves on the edges of forests.

IN middle lane At the end of September, the country's forest protectors, the ants, stopped working. It is very important to protect anthills so that beneficial insects do not die.

For the winter many animals and birds prepare stern. Hamsters carry grains of wheat, oats, lentils, sunflowers, and flax into their pantries. They don’t refuse potatoes either. For old animals, supplies are located in three pantries, for careless young ones - in one. The hamster needs supplies not so much in the winter (he rarely wakes up), but in the spring, after waking up from hibernation. Sometimes he gets into houses.

Badgers and chipmunks store food for winter. Squirrels sometimes raid other people's property. Thus, nimble squirrels can even drag nuts from the attic of a residential building into their hollow.

In the taiga, a lot of pine nuts are prepared by the nutshell. Jays stock up on acorns and do not disdain small potatoes.

Ferrets, ermine, weasels, minks, martens, weasels, wolverines, foxes, and arctic foxes set up small meat warehouses—“refrigerators.” Of course, such a warehouse is a very insignificant help: the animals have to hunt all winter.

Unlike the friendly spring arrival of birds hurrying to nesting sites, the autumn departure lasts much longer. The first to leave our region are insectivorous birds: swifts, orioles, nightingales, then granivores and waterfowl. Only those that can produce food in winter remain in their native places.

The beautiful bobtail kingfisher, an emerald bird, is in no hurry to go to warmer climes. He sits on the shore and waits. But then it fell into the water like a stone and immediately took off with prey in its beak - a small fish or some insect. Such fishermen can be observed near rivers even after the first frost. Kingfishers fish until late autumn, sometimes before snow appears. Cold water They are not afraid - if only there was food!

Autumn is a time of worries, anxieties, joys and sorrows for hunting lovers. It is only important that every hunter is an athlete, a prudent owner: he does not shoot at the wrong time and at protected areas, thought about tomorrow native nature, did not allow the predatory extermination of birds and animals by poachers.

From the magazine “Peasant Woman”, 1968

Autumn in the forest. No bird songs can be heard. Fieldfare thrushes have gathered in flocks and are fattening up before migrating to warmer climes.

Crake set off on his journey before everyone else, because he either flies to the south or walks.

The jay buries acorns for reserve. He chooses the ripest ones, but often forgets about them, and in the spring young oak trees grow from these acorns...

The hedgehog found a hole in a rotten stump, dragged leaves into it - and now its housing for the winter is ready.

The squirrel will soon turn gray and put on a winter coat, but for now it is storing nuts and acorns. Puts them in a hollow. And he hangs the mushrooms on thorny branches to dry.

The she-bear dug a den under the roots of an old spruce tree, covered it with branches, and gathered moss. In winter, bear cubs will appear in her den.

The fox silently sneaks around autumn forest. The leaves in the forest are red, and the fox fur is red. It is easy for a fox to sneak up on its prey unnoticed.

The deciduous bunnies were hiding. They don't jump, they don't leave traces. Otherwise the fox will find them and eat them. A hare will run past, feed her milk and then jump into the aspen forest.

Flocks of cranes stretched high in the sky. With sad cries they bid farewell to their homeland. The cranes will spend the winter in warm Africa. But as soon as the streams begin to ring in the spring, the grass turns green on the hillocks, and the cranes return home to their homeland.

The first snowflakes swirled in the air, and flocks of geese also flew south.

Questions for discussing what you read with children

Do you know how birds and animals prepare for winter in the fall? Listen to how G. Snegirev tells us about this. What were you listening to now - a story, a fairy tale or a poem? Why do you think so? Does this work talk about any miracles? Can we say that this work is melodic, melodious, that there is rhyme in it? What new did you learn from this story? What birds are going to fly to warmer climes? How do hedgehogs, squirrels and bears prepare for winter? What does the author say about the fox? Why do you think bunnies are called “deciduous rabbits”? How did you guess that they were recently born? Where do cranes and geese fly to for the winter? When will they return to us?

Hello guys! What time of year is approaching us? That's right, winter! Now we have late fall and we're getting ready for winter, right? How can we humans prepare for it? (We buy warm clothes, prepare supplies for the winter, insulate our houses, close up the windows, etc.). Guys, do you know that animals living in the forests prepare for winter almost the same way as we do! They also make edible reserves, insulate their burrows, exchange their summer skins for winter ones, and some animals even spend the entire winter in deep sleep! Today we will talk to you about how different animals prepare for the coming of winter. You tell me something, and I tell you something!
The first animal we will talk about today is the master of all Lesov-bear. What do you know about him? (children's answers)
The bear's main food consists of berries, nuts, roots, bulbs, ants, beetle larvae and fish. This helps him accumulate fat for the winter. Brown bears They make a den for themselves in a hidden, inaccessible place. Most often, it is under the root of an upturned tree or in a windfall. In November, the bears climb there and fall asleep. Bears sleep restlessly. If they are disturbed by something, they can abandon the den and build another one. In a mother bear's den, cubs are born, usually 1-2, rarely 3. They are very small, the size of a mitten. Mother bear feeds them milk for 8 months. and even when she sleeps in winter.

The next animal we will talk about is the lynx. Lynx does not hibernate. Among all representatives of the cat family, the lynx is best adapted to cold weather. She moves excellently in deep snow and climbs trees. Favorite prey of lynxes are hares, black grouse, and hazel grouse. Sometimes she attacks young wild boars; in a hungry winter, she can feed on small rodents. In winter, moose especially suffer from lynxes, when it is difficult for these long-legged animals to move through deep and loose snow. By winter, the lynx's fur becomes thick, fluffy and soft, and the lynx's paws are heavily furred so as not to feel the cold.

Hare. As we know, before the onset of winter, the hare changes its gray skin to white. In winter they feed on bark, small twigs of aspen, willow, and birch. In winter, a fallen tree can become a real hare's dining room, where the animals visit every day until they gnaw off all the bark. They have no permanent home. In extreme cold, they hide under snow-covered bushes.

Hedgehog. When it gets cold, hedgehogs need to accumulate fat, and in the fall, hedgehogs have little prey. Worms hide in the ground, nimble lizards hide. It's hard to find bugs and frogs. On clear autumn days, the hedgehog prepares a warm nest for wintering. Night and day, it drags dry leaves and soft forest moss into the hole. IN hibernation The hedgehog spends more than six months. During this time he does not eat anything or move. He sleeps curled up in a ball, in a den, under a deep snowdrift, as if under a thick, fluffy blanket. And he sleeps like this all winter, until the spring sun.

Squirrel. Many rodents also make winter reserves. Squirrels that sleep in winter only in very very coldy, capital reserves are required. Unlike many other animals, squirrels use their reserves together. In the fall, they hide acorns and nuts in the forest floor, in hollows, and in the ground. Not only the owner herself, but also any other squirrel can get them from there. They also store mushrooms in a special way: they string them on tree branches or stuff them into forks between the branches. By winter, the coat of this animal becomes very soft and fluffy, and the color is grayish. She builds her nest on tall spruce or pine trees. Inside the nest there is soft grass, moss, and balls of wool. In severe frosts, the squirrel does not crawl out of its hollow, and may even fall asleep.

Foxes and wolves. These predators certainly don't sleep. By winter, these animals' fur becomes thicker. In winter, wolves unite in large packs. Their victims are wild boars, hares, and roe deer. And foxes attack smaller animals - hares, small rodents, birds. Burrows are usually dug in groves, on the slopes of hills and ravines.

Beavers. In autumn, the beaver family is busy preparing food. Alone, and sometimes together, beavers easily fell aspen and willow. They build themselves strong huts. The entrance to it is always located under water so that the enemy does not get close. In winter, it is warm inside the beaver’s home, the temperature is above zero.

Hamsters. As autumn approaches, hamsters begin to actively organize pantries in preparation for winter. And most place them right in the mouth, where they hide the food behind the cheeks. These animals are rightfully considered the most thrifty.

Elk. They live in the forests. Closer to autumn, when lingonberries and blueberries ripen, moose love to eat them directly with the twigs; they also love mushrooms, even looking for them specifically. In winter, moose gnaw the bark of aspen, rowan and willow trees. At the end of autumn it sheds its antlers, and by spring it grows new ones. They are not preparing a permanent home. It is difficult for them in winter, when the snow floor is very deep, because it is not easy to cross it with such long legs.

Wood mice, voles. All of them are very voracious, stocking up on seeds and berries. In winter, when everything around is covered with snow, the animals dig tunnels in the snowdrifts, and can also live in haystacks and buildings.

Quiz “How animals winter”

1. What do animals do to protect themselves from the cold?
- fly to warmer climes
- change the summer coat to a warmer and lighter winter coat
- change the summer coat to a warmer and brighter winter coat

2. What animal does not change its coat in winter?
- squirrel
- hare
- hedgehog

3. Which other animal sleeps all winter?
- badger
- fox
- wolf

4. What is the first thing that animals hibernating need?
- Fat reserves under the fur coat
- silence
- peace

5. The hare has no fat reserves. What does he eat in winter?
- Tree bark and twigs
- carrots
- cabbage

6. What do predators eat in winter: wolves and foxes?
- tree bark and twigs
- small animals
- are starving

Who's the odd one out here?

Having eaten enough over the summer, bears, badgers, mice and hedgehogs hibernate at the beginning of winter.
(Mice don’t sleep in winter, and you can’t see them because they move under the snow. But foxes always know where the mouse is, they can smell it through the snowdrift)

A wolf, a fox and an elk roam the snowy forest in search of prey.
(The elk is not a predator. Like all ungulates, it is a herbivore, and when there is no fresh grass, it eats branches and last year’s grass)

Elks, wild boars, weasels, hares and roe deer in winter feed on branches, roots, plant bark and fresh leaves.
(Weasels are predators, they catch mice and birds. Unfortunately, there are no fresh leaves in the forest in winter, so it’s difficult for them)

Well done guys! They told me everything correctly! Well, now I will show you a cartoon!