Items12The creator’s order
- 1
Wood frogOn the forest floor, a wood frog can survive part of its body water turning to ice. Its heartbeat and breathing stop while it is frozen, then resume as it thaws. Compare it with the Arctic ground squirrel, which can drop below the freezing point without forming ice in its body.0 - 2
Arctic ground squirrelAn Arctic ground squirrel spends much of the year in an underground burrow. During hibernation its body temperature can dip below the freezing point of water while its tissues stay unfrozen. It periodically warms up again. Taken together, those changes make its winter different from a long stretch…0 - 3
Hazel dormouseA hazel dormouse spends much of the active season in shrubs and trees, then usually hibernates in a nest close to the ground. Look for the shift in shelter. The place it chooses for winter gives it different conditions from the branches where it forages in warmer months.0 - 4
Common poorwillDuring cold weather, when flying insects can be scarce, a common poorwill can enter torpor. Its body cools and it uses less energy than it does while active. The bouts can last much longer than a night, giving this North American nightjar a way to get through periods when hunting is poor.0 - 5
Painted turtlePainted turtle hatchlings sometimes spend their first winter in the nest. They can supercool, staying unfrozen even when their temperature dips below freezing. The soil around the nest affects how well that works. Hatchlings can also survive limited freezing.0 - 6
TardigradeSome tardigrades in moss or other damp surroundings can survive when their surroundings dry out. The animal contracts into a compact form called a tun and becomes inactive. It can become active again when water returns. The picture shows an active tardigrade with its legs extended.0 - 7
Artemia salinaA brine shrimp can get through a dry spell before it hatches. Its embryos can remain dormant inside protective cysts. The adults in the picture show the swimming stage that follows once development resumes.0 - 8
West African lungfishWhen water recedes, a West African lungfish can wait in a cocoon in the mud. It breathes air and reduces its activity until the water returns. Compare it with the spadefoot. Both spend dry periods underground, but one is a fish waiting for its pool to refill.0 - 9
Couch’s SpadefootCouch’s spadefoot stays underground through much of the dry season. After heavy rain it can emerge to breed in short-lived pools. The pause and the sudden activity belong to the same desert life cycle, with the wet weeks offering opportunities that the dry months cannot.0 - 10
Cornu aspersumIn hot, dry conditions, a brown garden snail can retreat into its shell and close the opening with a temporary membrane. The barrier helps limit water loss until conditions are better for movement and feeding. This is a dry-weather pause you may see close to home.0