January-February 2024 • Nebraskaland 65
Thick winter coats of the
pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)
match the frost-covered
Panhandle landscape on this
morning.
W
hen the mercury dips
down around zero, most
of us are fortunate to have
heated spaces to take refuge. Wildlife
aren't so fortunate, but do have special
adaptations and behaviors to battle the
elements.
Some escape the cold by migrating
south. While such travel is certainly
effective, and attractive to us humans,
it comes at the expense of a lot of
energy and most animals would rather
stay put if possible.
Warm-blooded animals must
maintain an internal body temperature,
and wildlife can certainly succumb
to cold and frostbite just as humans
can. Thanks to biological features,
our neighbors of the wild are able to
withstand frigid temperatures much
better than we are.
One of the primary tactics for many
species is to take things down a notch.
That is, they either hibernate or enter
the period of slowed activity known as
torpor. And, depending on the animal,
there may be herding, denning, burrowing
and roosting in tree cavities involved.
A certain amount of "porking out"
also helps, as nature's smorgasbord of
food in fall helps animals prepare for
months ahead. Wild turkeys, which are
heavily dependent on ground forage,
often carry enough fat into winter to
roost in a tree without food for a week if
a snowstorm forces them to do so.
Similar to many birds, you will often
see turkeys fluffing feathers to boost
insulation. Most terrestrial species use
a natural coat of some sort to stay
warm. Mammals such as deer gradually
replace the hair of their summer coats
with heavier ones for winter.
The Canada goose has upwards to
25,000 feathers, which, similar to other
waterfowl, it keeps waterproofed with
oil from a gland in its lower back. The
