Animals Finding Food In The Winter (PHOTOS)

With winter fast approaching, plenty of furry animals are getting ready to handle the harshest snowy conditions.

Check out these incredible shots of animals that are scavenging and hunting for food in freezing environments, and vote for the one you think is the cutest cold-climate animal food seeker.

Deer

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Comments

[Spiky Kitten]

It's easier for them to find food without snow?
It's harder to hunt them without snow?

Global warming - do it for the animals.

[tabatha]

Beautiful photos!

[BlackYowe]

I have a little thing for rodents with jet black eyes.

[skymuffin]

Forget the news. Just show more cute animals and dogs playing with puppies. I'm sick of all of the rest...

[jingles32]

Me too! :) Came here for some heart tugging, warm and fuzzy relief; can't take the "main" and "politics" pages anymore; half of what's there doesn't even qualify as "news," just hyperbolic headlines crafted to elicit the max. # of "hits," faux outrage, etc.

[Loving Oby]

Kind of weird to see black bears in the snow. How come they aren't hibernating?

[jingles32]

Not "true" hibernators!

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4565737_black-bears-hibernate.html

Torpor
"When the weather starts to get cold and food supplies begin to dwindle, the black bear goes into its den to go into torpor. The black bear does not eat or drink for up to 6 months during torpor. The black bear is able to survive due to several factors. The black bear's body uses its stored fat as a food source. Its heart rate and metabolism drops to use less energy. The black bear rarely urinates or defecates when in torpor. It recycles its waste products to maximize nutrition and hydration. Muscle tone is kept due to the bear exercising in its sleep by shivering several times a day, which contracts all the muscles of the body. The black bear is able to keep warm during torpor by sleeping curled up in a small den and relying on warmth from a thick fur coat and a lot of body fat.
Awakening from Torpor
Male black bears and female black bears without cubs often wake up several times during winter months to go out and briefly hunt or forage for food before returning to their den to torpor again. Female black bears wake up briefly from torpor to give birth to their cubs."

[liarsclub75]

Cute critters!

[naschkatze]

Sweet.

[Eleka bobV]

Good article

[Eleka bobV]

Very beautiful!!!

[beebletree]

AMAZING