Favorite Snowy Animals

Winter in New Hampshire can be a chilly experience. Cold hands and feet, snow that fills up your yard, and storms that cover everything with ice. Animals, however, take many different approaches to winter. Many are active; we see their tracks and find evidence of them scouting around. Other animals migrate, and some hibernate. So here are some cool facts about snowy creatures!

The first animal is a snowshoe hare. This fuzzy rabbit is named for how big its hind feet are, and the track its tail leaves in the snow. They are native to North America, and you can commonly see them in New Hampshire. Hares are a bit larger than rabbits, and they typically have taller hind legs and longer ears. Snowshoe hares have especially large, furry feet that help them to move in snow in the winter.

Deer have several adaptations that allow them to survive in winter. Deer can be found as far north as southern Canada where temperatures are lower and snow is around for longer periods of time. Deer don't hibernate, but they do eat a lot before the snowy season comes. They store up on fat to insure warmth and enough energy when they can not find food. Their coat plays a major role in keeping them warm. They have thick layers of fur, the first layer being the guard hairs. Guard hairs can provide enough cover, but the real fur under the first layer is called the underfur. This soft coat is really what keeps all the warmth in, and helps the deer survive winter. Deer also make snow forts, to block out the severe winds and blizzards. They also live in thick forests in undergrowth.

Opossums have the most difficult winters of all. They rarely share a nest with other opossums. They will spend the winter in dens like abandoned woodchuck burrows, hollow trees and brush piles. Opossums may not be considered the smartest animal, but they are smart enough to line their dens with dry grass and leaves. They gather the material and transport it, either holding it in their mouths or grasping a bundle with their tales. Cool fact about these creatures: they're marsupials, which means they hold their young in pouches. They are also the only marsupials in North America.

The last animal is a coyote. Coyotes are members of the Canidae family and share a lot of the same traits of their relatives: wolves, dogs, foxes and jackals.They generally live in in North America. Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America. But these smart animals have been adapting to humans. It is actually getting more common to see coyotes in cities live Los Angeles and New York. Usually coyotes hunt by themselves in summer and spring. But when the cold starts to come and food is harder to find, coyotes will join together and hunt in packs. These hunters are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and hunt at night. This is why you usually only hear coyotes howling at night. Coyotes howl to communicate their location. They also use other noises to communicate. They make huffing noises to call their pups and they bark at others to tell them to stay away. They also grow thick layers of fur, and in some cases change the colour from brown to white. This acts as a camouflage to help them hunt.

I hope you have enjoyed learning about these different animals. Here's an activity: go out hunting for coyote tracks and deer forts. Maybe if your lucky, you will see one on these interesting animals that roams New Hampshire. Search online for what their tracks look like, and see what they have left in the snow. Maybe there is a hare in your back yard right now!