Question

winter is on the way
by american museum of natural history
this text is provided courtesy of the american museum of natural history
if you had been living in north america many millions of years ago, you would have found the
weather warm and damp all year around. there were no winters as we know them. then the
climate began to change. to survive, the kinds of plants and animals living then had to be
able to live through the cold seasons.
as millions of years went by, certain kinds of plants and animals lived through the winter
better than others. others didnt do as well, and over the years, they died out. today, the
plants and animals that you find in the northern part of the united states all have ways of
behavior or physical characteristics, called adaptations, that help them survive the winter
season. lets look at some of the ways in which different kinds of plants and animals are
adapted to live through the winter.
hibernation is a deep sleep in which an animals breathing, heart - beat, and other body
processes slow down until the animal is barely alive. in this way, it survives the winter by
using very little food energy. hibernators include chipmunks, woodchucks, and some bats and
mice. some other animals such as bears and skunks, are not very active during the winter,
but they do not hibernate.
many trees seem to be dead in the winter. in a way, they are hibernating like certain animals.
if you cut down through the twig, you will find the young leaves that will bloom in the spring.
they are protected from drying out by layers of tough bud scales.
migration is not just for the birds. some mammals, including caribou and some kinds of bats,
also migrate. in summer, these caribou feed and raise their young in northern alaska and
canada. then they travel south, as far as 800 miles to forests that are somewhat protected
from the arctic winter.
in summer, the snowshoe hare is a grey - brown. as winter nears, a new coat of white - tipped
hairs gradually covers the animal. soon the hare blends into the snowy background.
snowshoe hares also have large, hairy feet - \snowshoes\ that enable them to move more
easily over snow.
feet that grow into a kind of \snowshoe\ help the ruffed grouse walk on snow. these birds
live in the forests of southern canada and northern united states. in the fall, a comb - like finch

Explanation:

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Answer:

Since no specific question is provided about this text, it's not possible to give a targeted answer. If you have a question related to this text, such as a comprehension question, a request for analysis of a concept (like adaptations), or something else, please share it so that I can assist you.