Birds will fluff out their feathers to keep a layer of air around their bodies, huddle together to keep warm or roost in tree cavities. Tiny ears and tails are another adaption that animals have, like the pika , a relative of the rabbit. Small appendages that are close to the body stay warm and resist frostbite compared to having large ears or long tails. Thicker coats of either fur or hair grow in to act as an additional layer of insulation.
Mountain goats have very heavy wool undercoats and hollow hairs that keep air trapped close to the body, keeping the cold and wetness out. Similar to mountain goats, moose also grow a coat with hallow hairs to keep them warm.
Some animals will increase their food intake to build up fat reserves, allowing them to survive with a decreased food supply. Snowshoe hares , weasels arctic foxes and ptarmigans all change color as winter approaches. Their fur or feathers change from brown to white, which provides them two major advantages: The new fur or feathers are thicker and act as a better insulator than the brown summer coat, and the color change allows these animals to be camouflaged in the snow to avoid predators and hunt prey.
For more information on winter adaptations, check out the videos and information from the National Park Service. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. Some arctic animals, such as polar bears, are so well insulated that they cannot be spotted with night-vision goggles, which pick up radiated heat. This implies their outer layer of fur has the same temperature as their surroundings. In other words, these animals can keep all of their heat inside, losing none to the environment.
How amazing! Observations and results The empty bag probably felt a lot cooler than the filled ones. The materials in the bags are good thermal insulators—they do not let heat travel through them easily.
Stacking two bags on top of each other creates an even stronger barrier, so it probably took longer before the top bag felt cold. The bag with butter a fat probably felt colder than the bag with air or feathers, leading to the conclusion that heat transfers faster through fat than via an equally thick layer of stationary air.
Feathers insulate because they trap air, so there was probably little difference between how the bag of feathers and the bag of air felt.
People in arctic climates use animal skin and fur as well as synthetic clothes to protect themselves from the cold. Synthetic clothes made to withstand extreme weather use the same heat-trapping techniques as the ones found in animals.
For example, they might use down feathers to trap air or have a water-resistant coating to keep out moisture. Cleanup So long as you used a clean bag, you can reuse the butter for cooking. Also reuse your feathers and other bags as you can. This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies.
Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. Snow-white coats serve as camouflage for animals like the Arctic hare , as well as the stoat, which is also called an ermine pictured above in its signature winter wear. Its coat may help hide the ermine from predators, but its stunning beauty has also attracted people, too.
Historically admired by royalty, ermine pelts were used for royal robes , in portraits, and as a design in heraldry. White coats may also keep animals toasty. Birds experience a similar benefit when they fluff their feathers, trapping pockets of air close to their body for added warmth.
As temperatures warm and summer approaches, animals molt, shedding their winter-white coats for earthier hues. With new shades of brown, gray, black, and red, their coats reflect the change in seasons and new ground cover and vegetation. All rights reserved. To survive icy and snowy seasons, nature outfits many animals with spectacular winter coats. Share Tweet Email. They use a variety of mechanisms.
Some are extremely complex chemical strategies, such as supercooling , but some are comparatively simple—fur, fat, and feathers designed to keep in the heat. Air is an excellent insulator, and birds survive in sub-zero weather by fluffing their feathers to introduce air and create layers of air and feathers.
Moreover, long before we discovered down as the perfect material for ski coats and comforters, birds used small, fluffy, down feathers as insulation against the cold.
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