You put on a coat. Animals can’t do that — so they’ve evolved three completely different strategies for surviving the cold. Every animal outside right now is using one of them.
When winter comes and food gets hard to find, animals do one of three things. Scientists call them migrate, hibernate, and adapt.
Three ways animals make it through winter!
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Which one would YOU pick if you were an animal — migrate, hibernate, or adapt?
The rabbit’s fur turns white in winter. Why might that help it?
What do YOU do differently in winter than in summer?
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White fur helps the rabbit hide in the snow! Predators can’t see it against the white ground. That’s called camouflage.
Try it
Act it out! When I say MIGRATE, flap like a bird. HIBERNATE, curl up and snore. ADAPT, shiver and rub your arms. Ready? Migrate! Hibernate! Adapt!
Winter presents one core problem: energy. Food is scarce and staying warm burns fuel. Each strategy is a different solution to that same math.
Every strategy trades something away.
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None of these is “best.” Why would different animals land on different solutions?
During hibernation a groundhog’s heart can slow to just a few beats per minute. Why would the body do that?
Bears are famous for hibernating, but scientists argue about whether they truly do. What might make bears different?
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The best strategy depends on an animal’s size, diet, and ability to travel — a hummingbird can’t tough out a winter, and a deer can’t fly to Florida. Slowing the heart rate conserves energy: the less fuel burned, the longer stored fat lasts. And bears are debated because they enter a lighter state called torpor — their body temperature drops only slightly and they can wake up quickly, unlike true hibernators.
Try it
Design an animal! With a partner, invent an animal that lives in Chattanooga. Pick its winter strategy and justify it using the animal’s size, diet, and body. Be ready to defend your choice.
Additional Notes/Activities
If additional activities are needed for the Morning Meeting, they will be added here.