What Do Fish Eat in Winter?

Katie from the United States wrote:
When it is winter and the water freezes what do fish eat??

GLOBIO Traveling Teacher says:

Hi Katie,

That's a great question. In winter, especially when the surface water over a pond or lake freezes, fish swim deeper where water might not freeze. There they can find crustaceans (kruh-stay-shee-ans) which are small shrimp-like animals, smaller fish and other creatures to feed on. Of course, different fish need different food - so some might eat old vegetation laying at the bottom.

Also, when it gets colder fish slow down and don't use as much energy - so they don't need to eat as much food.

Thanks for the great question,
GLOBIO Traveling Teacher

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How do hibernating animals survive in winter?

Thivanks from Fiji wrote:
How do hybernating animals survive in winter?

GLOBIO Traveling Teacher says:

Hi Thivanka.

That's a great question, because it's kind of hard to imagine how hibernating animals survive the winter.

When animals hibernate, they sleep through the winter to avoid the cold weather and save energy. During the fall, animals that hibernate eat A LOT and gain lots of weight as fat. As winter approaches, the animals find a suitable place to hibernate. During hibernation they live off their body fat as they sleep for several day or weeks. The animals' breathing and heart beats slow down and usually their body temperatures drop to match the temperatures outside. Examples of hibernating animals are bears, frogs, bats, & raccoons.

To be more specific, the black bear is a good example of an animal that hibernates in winter. Black bears eat more than usual in the fall and can gain as much as 30 pounds per week. They also gather leaves, grass, and twigs to make warm beds. They use these beds to sleep on in dens, burrows, caves, hollowed-out trees, or rock crevices. While hibernating, their body temperatures can drop from a typical 99-101 degrees Fahrenheit to 88-95 degrees. A black bear's heartbeat also goes down from 60 to 90 times per minute to as few as 8 to 40 beats per minute. The black bear can go as long as 100 days without eating, drinking, urinating, or exercising while in the hibernation state.

Non-hibernating animals migrate or adapt to survive harsh, cold weather in winter.

I hope that information is helpful!

Thanks for the great question,
GLOBIO Traveling Teacher