Furry noses, snow igloos, snow shoes and group hugs: How 10 snow animals outsmart winter

During the winter, as the cold nights draw in, many people like to curl up by the fire with a soft blanket and a hot drink to warm their cockles. But wild animals don’t have the luxury of warm houses and thermal clothing to protect them when the thermostat plummets.

So, how do the animals that live in snowy landscapes adapt to survive freezing temperatures? From furry noses to group hugs, here are a few of the ingenious ways they stay warm and safe.

10 snow animals

Penguins

Antarctica is home to the coldest place on Earth so it’s no surprise that penguins are experts at staying snug, even when the weather around them is frightful.

Firstly, their dense feathers have several layers and exceptional waterproofing abilities to help them retain heat when diving in icy polar waters. They also need to keep their feet nice and toasty to stop them freezing.

They can do this thanks to their ability to control their blood flow as well as the fact that their veins and arteries are arranged super close together. This system cools the blood down as it heads towards the feet – keeping their tootsies just above freezing prevents frostbite while ensuring there isn’t too much heat to lose from their extremities – then warms it back up again before it returns to the body and internal organs.

Why don't penguins' feet freeze? They look chilly...

Famously, Emperor penguins also work as a team to make sure everyone stays cosy. These birds huddle for warmth, taking it in turns on the outside of the group where it’s much colder.

The biggest-ever penguin was a prehistoric monster that weighed as much as a sumo wrestler

Snow leopards

Snow leopards are found in cold, mountainous regions across several Asian countries including China, Mongolia and Bhutan.

It may look adorable – with its fluffy coat, tail and feet – but don't be fooled as this ferocious predator can leap 15 meters and take down prey 3 times its size

These cats have massive, furry paws that act like snow shoes; spreading their weight out so they’re less likely to sink into the deep snow. It also muffles the sound they make when they walk so prey animals are less likely to hear them coming.

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Snow leopards are around 75-150cm from head to the base of the tail, with the tail adding on another 80-105cm, which makes them smaller than the other big cats. Snow leopards generally weigh between 25-55kg, although some large males have been recorded weighing up to 75kg.

Polar bears

Although the sight of a snow-white polar bear strolling across the Arctic tundra is iconic, polar bears aren’t actually white.

They have black skin to absorb heat and translucent hairs that look white because of the way they scatter the light to help them blend into their snowy surroundings. These hairs are also hollow, trapping air inside to help keep the bears nice and toasty. In fact, they’re so well insulated that they can overheat very quickly.

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These impressive predators also use the snow and ice to their advantage while hunting. Seals are air-breathing mammals so when they swim under thick ice, they need to make a hole in it where they can come up to breathe. Clever polar bears have incorporated this into their hunting strategy, sitting by seal breathing holes and waiting for their prey to appear, so they can pounce.

David Attenborough narrates astounding BBC footage of a ferocious polar bear launching itself at a trembling terrified seal

Beluga whales

Another animal that uses their colouring to camouflage into their Arctic environment are beluga whales. They also have very thick skin and a hefty layer of blubber to stay snug in frigid waters.

Unlike many other whales, belugas don’t have a dorsal fin. That’s so they can manoeuvre more easily under the ice, which is handy when they need to get away from predatory orcas.

Killer whales’ large dorsal fins – which can be up to six feet tall – make it difficult for them to swim under ice sheets so belugas can use the ice to escape.

Arctic fox

In winter, Arctic foxes are perfectly camouflaged against the snowy landscape. But, in summer, they look almost unrecognisable as their snow-white fur turns brown or grey so they don’t stand out against the grassy landscape. They even have fur on the pads of their feet, like wearing their own tiny pair of slippers. And when they snuggle down to sleep, they wrap their furry tail around their body like a warm blanket. Adorable.

Crocodiles

Yes crocodiles! Crocodiles might not be the first creature that comes to mind when you think of cold weather but crocs and other cold-blooded animals have a surprising way of surviving icy conditions. They do nothing… That is, they go into a state called brumation, which is similar to hibernation.

During this time, the crocs, bring down their body temperature and metabolism to help them survive the cold. But they still need to breathe. In some areas, such as Texas, you can see crocs’ snouts poking out of frozen ponds during the winter.

Grouse

Some birds, such as grouse, escape the cold by digging snow roosts. Building these igloo-like burrows in the snow helps them to find shelter from the biting wind and might also be a way of hiding from predators.

Hidden inside these little grottos, the grouse don’t need to work as hard to keep themselves warm, which allows them to save more energy. But they do still have to leave their snowy dens regularly to find food.

Grizzly bear

The grizzly bear’s strategy for surviving winter is one of the most famous of all animals on the planet: hibernation. Before the winter sets in, these bears prepare for hibernation by gorging themselves on salmon that are heading upstream in rivers to spawn. The bears put on so much weight that Fat Bear Week – a competition where people get to vote which Alaskan grizzlies gained the most girth – has become an anticipated moment every year.

Once they’ve fattened themselves up with enough reserves to survive the winter, the bears head to their den and nestle down for several months. During this rest period, they don’t eat, drink, wee or poop. When they emerge in spring, they can have lost around one third of their bodyweight.

Icefish

Beneath the waves in the Southern Ocean, a strange type of fish can survive waters that dip to -2°C thanks to their special blood. Most vertebrates have red blood cells with haemoglobin to carry oxygen around their body.

The only known vertebrates that don’t have this are icefish. Instead, they have colourless blood which contains a special anti-freeze protein that prevents their blood from developing ice crystals in waters so cold that other animals would freeze.

Reindeer

Arguably, the most Christmassy animals of all are reindeer (known as caribou in North America). Living in chilly Arctic and sub-Arctic regions around the world, these animals have many clever adaptations to help them survive the cold.

While walking along, their legs make a clicking noise. This might be a way of helping the herd stay together in thick snowstorms when it’s hard to see each other.

Their dense coat is made up of two layers to keep them warm and they usually breathe through their nose (which is also furry) rather than their mouth. As they breathe in, they can warm the air on its way to the lungs and then cool the air they’re breathing out so they don’t lose too much heat in their exhalation.

These deer have a very good sense of smell and can even detect the scent of food under the snow. When they sniff out a snack, they use their hooves like shovels to dig it out.