How Animals Keep Warm

The cold weather makes it hard for everyone to stay warm. Do you have extra blankets on your bed? Are you wearing more layers of clothes?

Animals can't put on a heavy jacket when they get cold. They must learn to adapt to the cold weather.

We have a squirrel family that lives in one of our bird houses. This winter, five squirrels live in the tiny space. They huddle together to keep warm.

This picture shows one of our squirrels. He is very smart. He laid on our black roof in the sunlight. Black absorbs heat. His belly is warm because of the roof. His top is warm because of the sunlight.

Animals adapt to the cold in many different ways. Animals with fur grow a heavier coat in the winter. Birds poof out their feathers to help them keep warm. Some animals store up fat to keep them warm in the winter months

If you would like to know more about how animals keep warm, you can print out a great little book. The book was written by Stephen Whitt. At Home in the Cold tells how Arctic animals stay warm. You can find it at http://onramp.nsdl.org/eserv/onramp:18095/at_home_45_book.pdf.