Animal Superheroes: Surviving Harsh Environments

Source 1: It Is Never Too Cold for These Animals

1 When temperatures drop, some animals struggle to survive. Other animals are able to adapt to the cold by making small changes over time. Three such animals are winners in the race against a freezing winter.

Arctic Fox

2 The beautiful Arctic fox finds special ways to survive in the coldest parts of Iceland. Its white winter fur blends in with the ice and snow. This lets it gather food without being noticed. It even sneaks behind polar bears to pick up the food scraps they leave behind. Sometimes Arctic foxes survive in temperatures as low as negative 58 degrees Fahrenheit. That is when this fox’s furry feet, short ears, and small snout come in handy, as they protect it from the cold.

3 Arctic foxes live in large family communities. A female may give birth to up to 15 baby foxes, called kits, at one time. These large families burrow deep beneath the snow in long tunnels, where they stay warm until summer.

Wood Frog

4 The brown speckled wood frog lives in the coldest parts of Alaska. Its hibernation period helps it use little energy to withstand the cold. When temperatures drop, the wood frog simply falls asleep and freezes. A special type of sugar, called glucose, in the tissues of the frog prevents it from freezing completely, even though its heart may stop beating for weeks at a time. The wood frog freezes and thaws again and again until winter is over.

Emperor Penguin

5 The world’s largest penguin, the emperor penguin, is about the same size as a first grader. It lives in the coldest place on Earth: Antarctica. Its layers of body fat, as well as wind- and water-resistant feathers, help protect it from the cold. When the female penguins lay eggs, the male penguins balance the eggs on the tops of their feet to keep the eggs warm. They also cover the eggs with a feathered skin pouch until the eggs begin to hatch. Emperor penguins gather in large groups. They trade places from inside to outside the cluster to prevent freezing. These smart birds really know how to survive!

Source 2: The Ship of the Desert

1 They may look a little strange, but dromedary camels are animals that know how to survive. Since they live in hot, dry deserts, camels must learn to exist in extreme conditions. Hot days, cold nights, and very little water would make some humans uncomfortable. Camels have developed special features to make life in the desert much easier.

2 The first features you may notice on camels are the humps. The humps store fat for energy. Storing the fat allows camels to travel long distances when food is scarce. Some of their food consists of prickly or salty plants. The thick, tough lips of camels make these meals easier to eat. Camels can also drink up to 30 gallons of water at a time. This helps them travel for over a week without needing to drink again.

3 The desert’s hot wind and sand can also make travel difficult. Luckily, camels have two rows of long, thick eyelashes to keep sand out of their eyes. They also have a third, clear eyelid that allows them to see where they are going during a sandstorm. If sand is still a problem, camels can also close their nostrils to keep from breathing in the sharp grains.

4 Camels have thick hair that helps keep them cool in the daytime and warm at night. Their large feet help provide balance on the uneven sandy ground. The feet have thick padding on the bottom, which protects them from the heat of the desert sand. Camels do not even begin to sweat until temperatures are extremely high, making them ideal creatures to carry humans across the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East.