Animals that love to play on the snow is usually known as
winter animal, too. They are able to cope up into the extreme coldness because
their body adaptability. However, basically, every other animals and humans (yes,
humans are animals, too, in a way) are pretty excited to welcome the white paradise in front of their eyes.
Even birds are caught playing in the first snow, too!
Animal
behaviorist, Con Slobodchikoff, from Northern Arizona University researched
prairie dogs’ behavior toward snow. He said in popsci.com, “When it snows they
come up and run through the snow and tumble around, and trip themselves so that
they fall down. They’ll wrestle, and slide down little hills on their butts.”
Furthermore,
he also related the love for this snow is tied to the need to play. If we look
up all over internet, we will find enormous number of animals playing on the
snow.
Nonetheless, there are few spesific animals that is not only excited to welcome the magical snowflakes, but also love playing among them most of the times. These are top tens of animals that love to play on the snow.
1. Harp Seal
Harp
Seals is also called Saddlebacks. This is because they have marks in the shape
of saddle in their backs. Of course, we better never jump into the saddle,
because it will be super slippery.
Their habitat is in the Atlantic side of the Arctic. No wonder they love to play on the snow, they are accustomed with extreme cold weather already. Their body also build up into the cold weather. They have this thick fat, that we can call blubber, that keep them warm during their diving time. And, of course, during the play on the snow also. In the other hand, this blubber also becomes a source of nutrition when food resources are thin.
2. Japanese Macaque
There
are a unique trait of these cute animals. Despite the nickname of Snow Monkeys,
Japanese Macaques are well-adapted to Japan’s hot summer, too. On the other
hand, Rafaela Sayuri Takeshita, a Ph.D student at Kyoto University’s Primate
Research Institute said to Nationalgeographic.com that they also enjoy the
winter snow.
We all know primates is related very close to human being, right? So, this Japanese Macaque apparently also behave like us when the winter is coming. They also love to snowball fights! Do you think you want to try to pick up snowball fights with these cute animals?
3. Wolf
Wolves’ habitat is vast ranging, from Alaska and Arctic Canada southward to Central Mexico and throughout Europe and Asia. Considering their anatomy, that’s built for long journey, no wonder they can spread into large distribution. Usually, the wolves who have light-colored fur that really love to play on the snow.
Wolves have close relation to dogs, especially to the likes of Siberian Husky. You can look the very similar built and the appearance. Unfortunately, while dogs are treated to be human’s best friends and humans try to train dogs, wolves rather got big misunderstanding. Thus, people tried to eradicate them out of fear. Maybe they never saw them cutely playing on the snow! What poor wolves!
However, things changed, and in the late 20th century, people already give a great tolerance. Granted, of course, because they own this earth, too, as much as people do. But, thanks to that, people start to get their mind together and protect this divine animals.
4. White-tailed Deer
There are few types of deer, but this one the most likely to play on the snow.
Do you know that this herbivores can run 30 miles an hour and leap as high as 10 feet? What a cool animal! They need that, though, to preserve their existence from preyed upon by bobcats, mountain lions, and coyotes.
Due to adapt into the extreme cold weather, white-tailed deer usually change color in the winter. In the summer, their fur will go tan and brown, while in the winter it becomes grayish brown. While we maybe chose to curl up under the blanket on the winter night, these deer rather to dig in under the blanket of snow.
5. Polar Bear
I think we’ve all seen the polar bears. I mean, they are everywhere because everyone just loves them, even they will be reluctant to make polar bears as pets. Especially, the amazing appearance make them even more stunning. As the name is, polar bear lives in Arctic, and definitely won’t mind the coldness of the snow.
Unfortunately, the climate change that happens lately has threaten their life and existence in the wild. Let’s protect them with self-awareness about climate change!
6. Snowshoe Hare
We
all know about chameleons that are changing their colors to camouflage
themselves. But, they’re not the only animals who did that. There are several
animals who can change their color skin or fur for theiw own benefit. Snowshow
hare is one of them.
To camouflage their existence, their fur changes into white in the winter and become reddish-brown in the summer. So, whenever the winter is coming, you might not be able to see them playing on the snow clearly!
7. Penguins
Do you know that penguins, just like in the movie happy feet, are birds? Yes, they are bird, but we will never see they’re flying. Instead, their adaptation change their wings into helpful tools to dive underwater. It turns into some kind of like fins.
8. Otter
Who would think animals as cute as otters are carnivorous? Not me. But yes, they love to eat fish, crustaceans, and other critters. Well, the other kind of carnivore, I guess. They also excellent swimmers due to their webbed feet and powerful tails which act like rudders. I think they are already accustomed to coldness that they become love snow!
9. Ermine and weasel
Ermine actually is in the same family of the weasel. Both of them are really fond of snow. Just like snowshoe hare too, they can also change their fur color when the winter comes.
10. Horse
Horse? Yes, horse. We might see them mostly in the summer or warm climate place. However, horses love to play on the snow, too. In the winter, horses can stay warm only by digesting their food. Thankfully, the hays that they love so much contain so much fiber that can help them warm.
So, you can take the horses for a ride even in winter, if you treat them very nice.