The cold has arrived, how to get warm? Animals in the course of their evolution have developed the ability to protect themselves from the elements. While we have decided to build houses, make heating systems, make warm clothes and blankets, the animals warm up by approaching each other and looking for shelter. The search for warmth awakens their survival instinct.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Il cold has arrived, how to warm up? The animals in the course of their evolution they developed the ability to protect themselves from bad weather.
While we have decided to build houses, to manufacture systems heating, making warm clothes and blankets, animals warm up by approaching each other and looking for shelter. The search for warmth awakens theirs survival instinct.
Index
Penguins
I penguins of Antarctica they live in one of the coldest areas in the world. To warm up they often approach each other and keep themselves in balance by slightly lifting their legs, which would be one of the parts of their body to suffer the most from the cold, as they are not covered by special protective feathers. To find out more, see the study published by the scientific journal Biology Letters, “Emperor penguin body surfaces cool below air temperature”.
Source photo: Cordier Sylvain – Corbis
Ice fish
The fish of the Channichthyidae family, commonly called "ice fish" (ice fishes), are among the few marine animals that live in the waters of Antarctica. These fish have developed special antifreeze proteins, which flow into their bodies through the blood, allowing their bodies not to freeze.
Source photo: Uwe Kils – Wikimedia Commons
Lizards
Unlike what happens with ice fish, cold-blooded animals as the lizards they risk freezing when temperatures drop below freezing. For this reason, some lizards have developed the ability to increase the amount of glucose and glycerol in the blood, thus preventing freezing. Some lizards have increased the mitochondria's ability to produce energy, even when some of the water in the body's cells freezes. One study in this regard it was published by the Journal of Experimental Biology.
Source photo: Mathias Krumbholz – Wikimedia Commons
Python
Il Burmese python, or Python bivittatus, despite being a cold-blooded animal, has developed the ability to reheat the eggs with your body. The female python wraps the eggs of the brood and is able to produce body heat thanks to the flexion of the muscles, while other snakes have to rely only on external temperatures to re-warm themselves.
Font photo: Paul Tessier, Getty Images
Marmotte
Some animals during the winter protect themselves from the cold by falling in lethargy. The marmot alpina remains quiet in its lair for well 8 months a year. During the four months of activity, the marmots go in search of a mate and feed to form the reserves of fat that will help them warm up in the winter.
Font photo: Raimund Linke – Getty Images
Serpenti
Snakes of the species Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis spend the winter in hibernation, clinging to each other for the whole period of the year when the cold would not allow them to survive. Upon awakening, the couplings, which help all snakes, male or female, to warm up after long weeks of freezing weather.
Source photo: Roberta Olenick – Getty Images
Macaques
I Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) live further north than other primates, with the exception of humans. In the locality of Jigokudani macaques have learned to keep warm during the winter thanks to the presence of pools and hot springs. Monkeys seem to have passed this skill down from mother to son, at least according to one study published by the American Journal of Primatology.
Photo source: Electra K. Vasileiadou - Getty Images
Bison
Hot springs are also very useful for bison Yellowstone National Park to survive the winter. The animals gather around the geyser naturali and they heat up thanks to the vapors coming from the ground, above all because the water is often too hot for a dive. This allows the bison to save the calories they would have burned to keep warm.
Source photo: Dennis Walton – Getty Images
Whales
Whales, in the polar areas of the oceans, protect themselves from the cold by developing a thick one layer of fat. It is necessary to isolate them and to keep the energy and heat present inside their body, as if it were a diving suit. Without the protective layer, whales would burn too many calories just trying to keep warm.
Fonte foto: Michael S. Nolan – Getty Images
polar bears
Polar bears get warm mainly thanks to the fur and the layer of fat that protect them from the cold. Theirs cloak pit has a very particular structure, between shorter or longer hairs, which makes it almost water repellent, while the lower coating layer traps heat.
Photo source: stanford.edu
Cover photo source: nathab.com
READ also:
How to protect animals (domestic and non-domestic) from the cold
