December 4th

today's surprise is winter animal facts!

yesterday's surprise was about how some arctic animals grow white fur in the winter, so I thought why not share some more animal facts~

• Reindeer are the only species of deer in which both the males and females grow antlers. Males shed their antlers in autumn and early winter and regrow them in february, while females shed theirs later in winter and regrow them in may.


• River otters slide in the snow for fun


• You’ve heard of birds flying south for the winter, but some birds like the owl, ptarmigan, and raven stay in the arctic year-round!


• Beluga whales developed their characteristic strong foreheads in order to ram through surface ice when it’s time to get air


• Japanese macaques bathe in hot springs to stay warm during the winter (and they look so cozy!)


• Where do all the bugs go in the winter? Some hibernate underground, while others migrate south


• Sometimes polar bears and penguins are illustrated together because they’re both associated with snow, but they actually live on opposite sides of the world. Polar bears live in the north and penguins live in the south.


• The word Arctic comes from the Greek Arctos, meaning bear (and also refers to Ursa Major and the pole star). So basically the Arctic is bears and Antarctica is no bears.