Winter can be cold, snowy and short on food. Animals handle it in three main ways. Some leave, some sleep, and some keep going.
Key idea
In winter some animals migrate to warmer places, some hibernate, and many stay active with thick fur and stored food.
Why it works
To migrate is to travel to another place for the season, like geese flying south. To hibernate is to sleep very deeply, with a slow heartbeat and a cool body, living on stored fat. Groundhogs and some bats do this. Deer, foxes and squirrels stay awake and find what food they can.
Worked example: Let's think it through
Do all animals sleep through the winter?
- Geese and hummingbirds fly away.
- Deer, foxes and squirrels stay active.
- Only some, like groundhogs, sleep deeply all winter.
Answer: No. Most animals stay active or travel.
Common mistake
Children often think every animal sleeps all winter. Most stay active, many birds fly away, and only some, like groundhogs and some bats, truly hibernate.
For the grown-up. Bears are a famous puzzle: they sleep for months in winter, but their bodies do not cool down as much as a groundhog's, so scientists often call it a winter rest rather than true hibernation.