What animals change coat color in winter? You will find out the answer to this question in this article.
Which animal changes its fur in winter?
With the onset of cold weather, most animals change their fur; it becomes thicker and warmer. When severe winter comes, they dress even warmer and have thicker fur.
Here are the animals that change their fur:
- Hare in the summer it was gray, and by the end of autumn it turns white.
- Squirrel exchanges his summer red coat for a winter gray one.
- U caresses By winter the fur becomes completely white
- White color arctic fox in winter it is pure white, and in summer it is dirty brown. The color of the blue arctic fox is dark in winter (from sand to dark gray with a bluish tint). On the mainland, blue foxes are quite rare, but on the islands, on the contrary, they are common. Arctic foxes change their coat twice a year: in spring (March–April) and autumn (September–December). Between January and February, the Arctic fox has its best fur. . In spring and autumn, when the molting process occurs, animals acquire a spotted color, which also camouflages them well in a motley landscape.
- Ermine in winter it is pure white, in summer it is two-colored - the upperparts are brownish-red, the underparts are yellowish-white. Winter color is typical for areas where there is snow for at least 40 days a year. The tip of the tail is black throughout the year.
Why do animals change the color of their fur in winter? Animals change the color of their fur in the winter for their own safety, to protect themselves from various predators that go out hunting to catch some prey. So, for example, hares change their gray fur to white in order to appear invisible in the snow, squirrels change to gray; in this attire it will be difficult to notice it among the bare gray branches of the trees on which it lives.
Instructions
Zoologists have been observing the molting of animals for decades. Research has established that the time and quality of molting are influenced by various factors. One of them is temperature. biological process molting in animals starts in nature both at low and high temperatures. Animals in the wild, or kept in enclosures, shed “like clockwork.” Such molts are called autumn and spring.
Double molting is suffered mainly by fur-bearing animals, squirrels, water rats, gophers, minks, hares, etc. Moles molt 3 times a year. But not all animals change their cover 2-3 times a year. Animals that hibernate molt only once a year. In individuals that hibernate for 7-9 months, a new coat of hair does not form during this period. They undergo one long moult, which lasts from spring until they go into hibernation.
Pets that are kept warm, periodically walk outside, or sit for some time on window sills, constantly experience temperature changes. Their molting loses its seasonality and becomes constant and pathological. In addition, this type of molting can occur due to improper diet of animals, stress and other circumstances. Hair loss due to an incorrect diet can occur in different ways, with less or greater loss of hair. With poor food, hair loss occurs mainly on the hips and back of the animal.
Age-related molting is a significant variability of fur during the growth period of animals. Moreover, in young individuals changes occur more actively. The time of age-related molting for each animal depends on the season of birth of the baby. The first age molting occurs between 3-7 months from the date of birth of the animal. Cubs at the end breastfeeding change the original fluffy cover. Secondary wool differs from the first one in structure and color. Age-related molting is typical for sheep, white fox, seals and other animals. Most often, the first down on animals is softer, more tender and velvety. The guard hairs of babies are thin and practically do not differ from down in thickness and length. This type of cover is often called plump. The color of the first hair coat is also different from the subsequent ones. Most often, the first one is darker, with the exception of newborn seals.
Wool, fluff, can shed in females during the sexual cycle or after the birth period of the animal. Shedding usually begins 5-10 weeks after the babies appear. During this type of shedding, the fur falls off mainly from the belly, chest and sides. This type of molting is called sexual molting; just like other moltings, it depends on the state of hormones in the animal’s body.
MOLT MOLT
periodic change of external skin and diff. their formations (cuticles, scales, wool, feathers, etc.) in animals. It can be age-related (passes in the first months of life), seasonal (during certain seasons of the year) and constant (throughout the whole year). The onset of L. depends on the stage of development, age, hormonal state of the body, as well as on external conditions. environment - temperature, photoperiod and other factors. In invertebrates L. (characteristic of age-related L. mainly for arthropods) consists of periodic. the larva shedding the old cuticular cover and replacing it with a new one. Regulated by hormones - ecdysone, juvenile, brain and sinus glands. L. provides the ability to change the shape and increase the size of the animal’s body, which grows until the newly formed cover (exoskeleton) becomes tight and begins to inhibit growth, then the animal sheds again. In insects, the number of flies varies from 3 (flies) or 4-5 (orthoptera, bugs, butterflies, etc.) to 25-30 (mayflies, stoneflies). In vertebrates L. is associated with adaptation to certain seasons of the year and the restoration of worn-out integuments. Regulated by hormones of the endocrine system. In amphibians and reptiles, phlegm consists of shedding and renewing the upper stratum corneum of the skin and occurs throughout the summer, and their frequency (from 2 to 6) depends on the temperature of the environment. In amphibians, lizards, and snakes, the ligament covers all parts of the body at the same time (in snakes, the upper keratinized layer of skin - the protrusion - comes off entirely). In crocodiles and turtles, the molt is partial (in turtles, parts of the body that are not covered by a shell molt). Birds molt feathers, as well as horny formations on their legs and beak. Beginning of L. in plural. birds is associated with changes in length daylight hours; Moreover, the periods of flight, reproduction, and migration are usually separated. in time. Types of L. are different. So, when the chick emerges from the egg, it is dressed in embryonic down, which is replaced by the so-called. nesting plumage of contour feathers, then complete or partial post-nesting feathering occurs. The replacement of all feathers usually takes place by the end of summer, when the beautiful breeding plumage is replaced by less bright winter plumage. In certain groups (Anseriformes, rails, cranes, etc.), the tail feathers and flight feathers fall out simultaneously with the coverts, as a result of which the bird loses the ability to fly (for example, ducks - for 20-35 days, swans - for almost 1, 5 months). Sedentary small birds have more feathers in their winter plumage than in their summer plumage, which provides better thermal insulation in winter (for example, siskins have 2100-2400 feathers in winter, and about 1500 in summer). In mammals, age-related and seasonal hair loss is accompanied by a change in hair coat (for example, the soft hair of a young individual is replaced by the coarser hair of an adult animal), changes in its thickness (more than doubled in winter) and color. In typical shrews (mole, mole rat), hairline which wears out quickly, except for seasonal, sometimes permanent, so-called. compensatory, L., promoting the restoration of hair. Animals living in conditions with sudden changes cold winter and hot summers, shed quickly, inhabitants of the tropics and semi-aquatic animals (muskrat, nutria, sea otter) - gradually. Most mammals molt twice a year - in spring and autumn, some animals (for example, seals, marmots, ground squirrels, jerboas) - once.
.(Source: Biological encyclopedic Dictionary." Ch. ed. M. S. Gilyarov; Editorial team: A. A. Babaev, G. G. Vinberg, G. A. Zavarzin and others - 2nd ed., corrected. - M.: Sov. Encyclopedia, 1986.)
moltPeriodic change of external integument (chitinous, cuticular, scaly, plumage and fur) in animals. Characteristic of arthropods and terrestrial vertebrates. It can be permanent, seasonal and age-related. Constant shedding occurs throughout the year, seasonal shedding occurs in certain seasons, and age-related shedding occurs more often at an early stage of an animal’s life. The onset of molting depends on internal (age, stage of development, physiological state, etc.) and external (temperature and humidity, length of daylight hours, etc.) factors. The molting process is regulated by hormones.
Arthropods are characterized by ch. arr. age-related molting, in which the old cuticular cover is shed and a short time increased body growth is replaced by a new, stretchable one. In various insects, from 3 to 25-30 age moults can occur.
In vertebrates, molting can be seasonal or constant, the so-called. compensatory, associated with the restoration of constantly wearing out body coverings (for example, in a mole, whose hairline quickly wears out due to its burrowing lifestyle). Amphibians and reptiles shed the upper stratum corneum of their skin throughout the summer (from 2 to 6 times), depending on the temperature of their environment. The molting of snakes is peculiar: the surface layer of skin, having begun to separate on the jaws, gradually comes off entirely, turning inside out, forming the so-called. crawl out. Transparent fused eyelids also change. In lizards, molting occurs in parts, in patches. In turtles, molting occurs in areas free of shell.
In birds, molting can occur 2 or 3 times a year, which is associated with seasonal polymorphism and the change from breeding plumage to winter plumage and vice versa. Some birds molt gradually without losing their ability to fly. Others, mainly inhabitants of forests and bushes from the family. chickens, shed old feathers quickly, so during the molting period they cannot fly and hide in the thickets. Ducks, geese, swans, loons and rails lose all the flight feathers on their wings and tail feathers, and therefore are not capable of flight for quite a long time (up to 1-1.5 months). At this time, they usually gather in huge flocks in remote, hard-to-reach places. When birds molt, the structure and number of feathers change: by winter, their number and density increases by about 1.5 times, and the downy layer increases.
Mammals molt 1-2 times a year, with one coat of hair being replaced by another, for example. winter - summer and vice versa; the soft hair of cubs is a coarser coat characteristic of adults. The speed of molting directly depends on the speed of change from cold winter to hot summer.
.(Source: “Biology. Modern illustrated encyclopedia.” Chief editor A. P. Gorkin; M.: Rosman, 2006.)
Synonyms:
See what "MOLTING" is in other dictionaries:
MOLTING, the process of shedding and replacing the outer layers of the body's integument. Mammals shed their outer layers of skin and hair when they shed, often during certain seasons of the year. A person does not shed, however, he constantly sheds dead dry hair... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary
MOLTING, molting, many. no, female (specialist.). Same as shedding. Molting of the beast. Autumn molt. Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
Noun fading Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Context 5.0 Informatics. 2012. molting noun, number of synonyms: 2 molting (3) ... Synonym dictionary
Every year nature itself gives wild animals a new coat. So who are these lucky ones?
Why do animals change color in winter?
With the arrival of winter, the color of the coat most often changes in animals living in areas where snow covers the ground for at least a month.
For herbivores, color changes are necessary to remain invisible to predators, and for the latter to blend in with environment and have success in the hunt.
So closer to winter the fur coat wild beast becomes light gray or white, which allows it to pretend to be a snowball, imitate the colors of tree bark, or hide among lonely bushes of dry grass.
However, the fur of animals in winter should not only camouflage them with the surrounding landscapes in order to protect them from predators, but also keep them warm in the cold - you can’t escape them. Therefore, in addition to long beautiful hairs, the winter coat has a thick and dense undercoat that protects the skin of animals from the cold.
Such warm natural camouflage protects forest inhabitants from danger and allows them to survive the hungry cold season. With the arrival of warmth and sun, the luxurious white coat sheds, giving way to new, red or dark gray hairs, which seem to be impatiently bursting out.
Brown hare
The gray hare can safely be called a master of camouflage, because he has a lot of enemies. Wolves, foxes, kites - a camouflage coat is vital for a hare.
In summer, the brown hare is brown or buffy-gray. This allows you to remain invisible among bushes, fields and meadows, where the scythe loves to settle.
In winter, the hare dresses in a silver gray coat. But the head, front of the back and ears remain dark.
Arctic hare
As winter approaches, the Arctic hare also changes color. Unlike the hare, he prefers forests with tall thickets grasses, sedge-covered swamps and spruce forests. During the warm season, the Arctic hare wears a delicate gray coat.
In the cold season, it turns into a snow-white fluffy ball, and only the tips of the ears remain black - this gives them away as a hare. The Arctic hare does not have a separate mink, so a camouflage coat is extremely important for it. During the day, the animal rests in a snow hole, and at night it gets food: it gnaws the bark of fallen trees.
Squirrel
If for socialites the color of their fur coat is dictated by fashion trends, then for squirrels it is the weather conditions. Yes, yes, squirrels also change the color of their fur for the winter, but not for beauty, but to hide from enemies: hawks and martens.
In summer the squirrel is red and fluffy.
And in winter, its coat is pale gray or black. This makes it easier for the squirrel to remain invisible among the dark gray trunks and branches.
In severe frosts, a squirrel can fall asleep in its hollow, where it prudently collects fallen leaves and dry moss - the same gray and inconspicuous, but soft and warm, like its wonderful fur coat.
Arctic fox
Thanks to the brown fur coat that the arctic fox wears in the summer, it is easy for him to hide among the bushes - foxes, wolves, and wolverines often hunt for foxes. Arctic birds of prey are also not averse to eating arctic fox meat: polar owls, eagle owls and sea eagles.
But in winter, when there are snowdrifts around, the arctic fox dresses up in a beautiful white fur coat. Look! It is almost invisible in the snow.
Ermine
In summer, the fur on the back of the ermine is brown with reddish spots, and the belly is yellow-white.
In winter, the animal’s fur, as if by magic, turns white and camouflages its owner well from those who want to feast on it.
Weasels, animals very similar to stoats, also change the color of their fur coat for the winter.
Reindeer
Reindeer fur in summer has a rich gray color, close to its environment. It consists of two layers: the lower dense one, impervious to moisture and wind, and the outer long one - made of empty, air-filled hairs.
Reindeer prepare for winter in a special way: they grow a thick white mane. Interestingly, the animal’s fur covers not only the body, head and limbs, but even the nose and horns. That's why reindeer Frosts are not scary.
Tundra partridge
This feathered beauty, a resident of the harsh regions of the Northern Hemisphere, sports gray-brown plumage and bright red eyebrows in summer.
And in winter it recolors its feathers white. And only the outer tail feathers remain black. Since the bird hardly flies and leads a terrestrial lifestyle, it hides from predators in thickets and snow holes.
Many animals do not change their coat color for the winter, but their fur coat changes radically: it becomes thick and luxurious, like this one. Wolves also insulate themselves for the winter. Their fur is enriched with light, dense undercoat, becoming longer and tougher. Wolves need this, because they sleep right in the snow, covering their nose and paws with their tail.
Winter has passed, along with snowfalls and frosts. The long-awaited spring has arrived, the sun is shining - the best time to go to the zoo. But some visitors are dissatisfied and complain: why are snow goats so shaggy, and their fur sticks out in clumps, why has the fox’s fur lost its winter shine and looks somehow dull? Even usually neat wolves still look somewhat unkempt.
In fact, everything is very simple: our animals shed. In spring, they no longer need long, thick and luxuriant hair, without which they could not survive. harsh winter. It's time to replace it with another, lighter, summer one, which is half as long and less common. For example, a squirrel has 1 sq. cm of body surface, instead of 8100 winter hairs, only 4200 summer hairs grow, and instead of 14 thousand hairs, the white hare grows only 7 thousand.
The molting of animals has long been of interest to zoologists. Research recent years It has been established that, in addition to temperature, it is influenced by light acting on the animal’s body through the endocrine gland - the pituitary gland. For hare molting, the length of daylight hours is the determining factor, while temperature only accelerates or delays this process.
The timing of molting in wild animals depends on the geographic latitude of the area. In some mammals and birds, along with molting, the color also changes: the light color is replaced by a darker one. The white winter color of the mountain hare turns gray in summer, and the squirrel changes from gray in spring to red. A similar transformation occurs with ermine, ptarmigan and other species. Here, too, everything is clear: in winter, animals become invisible against the background of snow; in summer, they are more difficult to notice against the background of earth and grass. This is called protective coloring.
The molting of animals occurs in a strict sequence and in each species in its own way. For example, in a squirrel, spring molting begins from the head. First of all, bright red summer hair appears on the front end of its muzzle, around the eyes, then on the front and hind legs, most recently - on the sides and back. The entire process of “dressing up” lasts 50–60 days. The fox has signs spring molt appear in March. Her fur loses its shine and begins to gradually thin out. The first signs of shedding can be seen on the shoulders, then on the sides, and rear end The fox's body remains covered with winter fur until July.
Almost all animals shed. But the inhabitants continental climate, characterized by sharp seasonal changes temperatures, alternating cold winters and hot summers, shed quickly, but the inhabitants of the tropics and semi-aquatic animals (giraffe, muskrat, nutria, sea otter) - gradually. Most mammals living in temperate latitudes, sheds twice a year - in spring and autumn, but some animals (seals, marmots, gophers, jerboas) - once.
Molting is natural process, in which old and dead cells and tissues are replaced by newer ones. This means that the fact that our animals shed is an indicator of their health. But if shedding becomes irregular and is accompanied by various painful phenomena (as sometimes happens in domestic cats and dogs), this can really be a cause for concern.
Now comes the turn of the second question: why don’t we comb our shedding animals? Well, firstly, this is not entirely true: we still help pets get rid of winter fur. For example, the yak living in the Children's Zoo is regularly brushed. But this won’t work with predators - after all, a zoo is not a circus, and not all animals here allow you to touch them. But they are also not “abandoned to their fate.” Take a closer look: in some enclosures (for example, among musk oxen) you will notice old fir trees or special structures made of different materials - the so-called “scratchers”. Animals scratch about them regularly and with obvious pleasure. And their winter wool is not wasted - employees then collect it and give it to birds and small animals, who use it to build nests. Such nests can be seen in the Night World.
Well, in conclusion, let's look at who is actively molting in the spring in the zoo, who you need to pay special attention to, who is interesting to watch. Molting is easy to notice in guancos, domestic llamas and vicuñas, foxes and hares, gray and red wolves, raccoons and raccoon dogs, musk oxen, snow goats and camels. Maybe you yourself will add someone to this long list?
M. Tarkhanova
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