Animals feel the cold too

With the onset of colder than normal temperatures this month, and some rather dangerous windchill conditions, most Minnesotans have begun to layer clothing, let cars warm up before driving, take more hot drinks and spend more time indoors around the fireplace. But what about animals? What are their protective responses to cold weather? Some are obvious and some not so obvious:

Many animals will curl up or roll into a ball to decrease the surface area of their bodies that loses heat; animals that often pant or have naturally higher respiration rates will cease to pant or reduce their respiration to minimize the loss of body heat through vaporization; the rate of blood flow toward the skin surface is retarded to conserve

metabolic heat; body hair may become more erect to increase the thickness of non-conducting air entrapped near the skin surface; and many animals begin shivering or rhythmic contraction of the muscles which generates several times more body heat than when the muscles are at rest.

In addition to these physiological responses, some changes in animal behavior can be observed such as their preference for staying in sunlit places during the day, finding protection from the wind, or in the case of farm animals staying in close proximity to haystacks or compost and manure piles which generate their own heat through biochemical reactions. In addition, some animals are like me and eat more calories in the winter season, especially when it is so darn cold!

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