During winter, most of us keep warm by bundling up and staying indoors. Do you ever wonder how animals spend the winter?
Some animals—like geese, bats, caribou, elk, and whales—migrate to warmer weather. Whales have even been spotted traveling south this week near our coastline! Check out Santa Barbara whale-watching tours to watch the migration yourself!
Did you know insects migrate, too? The monarch butterfly migrates to central Mexico at a pace of 50 miles a day, though some have flown up to 80 miles in a day. You can see thousands of these butterflies in the next few months as they take a rest stop in the trees near Pismo Beach.
Some animals that don’t migrate, hibernate. Bears are commonly associated with hibernation, though skunks, chipmunks, and some bats hibernate, too!
Want to know more about animals? Join us for our Preschool Patrol and Twilight Thursdays this month to discover more about animals as we explore all kinds of things related to science. Other topics during our month of science exploration will include weather, humans, and even rockets!
This article appears in Jan 19-26, 2012.