The Tricks Wildlife Use to Survive Deep Freezes

By Kimberly J. Epp

It sure is cold out there! With the windchill, it is set to go down to -45 to minus 50 in some parts of the province this week. So, as I sit cozy next to my electric fireplace and drink my hot coffee, how on earth do the wildlife stay warm - let alone, how do they survive?

Wildlife have tips and tricks to help them survive the polar vortex.

The Black-capped Chickadee has one of the most amazing survival techniques for such a tiny bird. Like all birds, it puffs its outer feathers out, trapping warm air inside like you do when you wear a warm parka. After busily eating all day, chickadees huddle together in their banditry (family group) within a tree hollow. Birds have a counter-current heat exchange system, which means their arteries are in close proximity to their veins. As warm blood from the heart travels to the toes, the vein carrying cold blood from the toes goes back to the heart. This system allows the core to remain warm, while the extremities are kept cooler, thus avoiding tissue damage to these extremeties.

Puffed out chickadee, keeping warm by the Wakamow feeder (photo by Kimberly Epp).

But it gets even more interesting with chickadees, as they are able to survive the long cold night by huddling together and putting their tiny bodies into a state of near hypothermia. Their inner core is lowered up to 2.9 degrees, which allows them to conserve energy over the long, cold night. Food is digested slower via this energy saving technique, and the huddling helps the tiny birds survive.

Thankfully it has snowed, as many of our wild friends rely on it. Wild pigs dig into the snow, and make pigloos during cold snaps. Snow helps insulate wildlife against the cold, and the wildlife know this.

Mule and White-tailed Deer make beds within the snow. They bed beside the trees, to offer protection against the wind.

Deer bed at Wakamow (photo by Kimberly Epp).

Hares also burrow into the snow.

Even tiny birds like Common Redpolls dig tiny burrows in the snow to spend the night in. Ruffed Grouse jump into a soft, deep, insulative snow bank to keep warm at night. The Ruffed Grouse also has feathers on their legs to keep them warm.

A Snowy Owl has even its talons covered in protective feathers (photo by Michael St.Laurent).

Snow traps air among its flakes and works like a sweater, insulating the ground below from the cooler air above. In temperatures as cold as - 40 degrees Celsius, the temperature at ground level may be as high as - 4 degrees Celsius. Mice, voles, and weasels live just above the soil surface in the "subnivean space". Coyotes, foxes, weasels and owls hunt these mice and voles that are underneath the snow.

Coyote with a healthy fur coat looking for food such as voles and mice (photo by Bob Schultz). As you can see, they camouflage well into their surroundings.

Squirrels will be busy at your feeder, but when the windchill is bad you may not see them for a few days. That's because they will be inside their tree hollows or underground tunnels sleeping. Actually, they can go into a state of torpor and thus survive a few days without food. But they also cache some food within their burrows to help them survive these cold days and nights They do this during stormy weather, too. Torpor is a shortened version of hibernation. Less energy is used during torpor than regular sleep.

Chubby Fox Squirrel busily eating peanuts at my feeder and caching them in his winter tree hollow (photo by Kimberly Epp).

Skunks, badgers and raccoons go into their dens and live off saved-up fat when the weather gets very cold. They do not hibernate, as they do come out time to time for food during warmer winter weather.

Porcupines spend time between their food supply (the bark of a pine or birch tree) and their winter dens. They push their scat towards the entryway, so if you see a large pile of peanut-sized scat in a den, with a trail leading to and from it, you've most likely found a porcpine den, often an old beaver lodge site.

American Porcupine, out for a walk in the shivering cold. During the polar vortex, the porcupine will snuggle warmly in its winter densite - which is always in close proximity to food (photo by Michael St. Laurent).

Red Foxes have fur between their toes which help to keep their feet warm. Their bushy tails can be wrapped around their faces while sleeping to keep their noses warm. They have a densite to seek warmth from the elements. All mammals that are active in winter get prepared in the fall by developing extra layers of fat, and a new winter coat. They may look cold to you and I, but most are able to survive just fine.

Mink looking for fish under the ice. The mink has a gland it uses to waterproof its fur with. The mink has a den to keep warm in when it is cold, often hoarding food for this very reason (photo by Michael St Laurent).

You can, however, help the birds and squirrels, and even the deer and hares, by putting out bird seed and other foods like pieces of fruit and vegetables. Oilseed is my favorite seed, as many species like it, including squirrels, many bird species, and even deer. You will be needing to refill your feeders near daily, as the birds will be even more active at your feeders. If you have stray cats, putting out an insulated shelter filled with straw will help them survive. Cat food, along with water in a heated dog dish will also help them during the long winter.

Mule Deer following regular pathways, looking for food (photo by Lily Ann Photography/Sarah Stelmaschuk).

And remember to dress warmly, in layers - and spend only limited time outside. Humans are not as well adapted as our wild counterparts to the frigid cold! I spent 3 nights winter camping in college during - 30 degree Celsius temperatures. One night was spent in a tent, a second night in a lean-to with a fire that needed to be kept going all night, and a third night in a quinzhee. The warmest night was in the quinzhee, which is basically a snow hut. So, the wildlife know best how to keep warm. Snow really is the lifesaver during cold snaps. But I still prefer my heater and hot coffee!

Mule Deer bedded down in Crescent Park. Although she is using the tree as protection from the wind, there is little snow. In this case, the deer often huddle in one area during cold snaps (photo by Patti Kosteniuk).

Everyone is welcome to the January meeting for the Moose Jaw Nature Society on Friday, January 24th at 6:30 pm at St Mark's Church. We will be welcoming a presenter from the Moose Jaw Wildlife Federation, who will be speaking about their mobile fish hatchery. Refreshments will be available, and there is no charge for attendance.
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Epp is an environmental educator and writer, and is the Past President and Field Trip/Workshop Director for the MJNS. She can be contacted at kepp@shaw.ca or through the MJNS Facebook page.