Martha E. H. Rustad - Animals in Fall: Preparing for Winter

Animals that go south
in the fall migrate.
Animals that sleep for
the winter hibernate.

Gray whales have
their babies near
Mexico. The waters there
are safe and warm.

All summer, they eat to build up a fat called blubber.
In fall, gray whales swim from Alaska to Mexico.
They live off the blubber as they migrate.

Monarch butterflies fly south in fall.

They usually fly all morning.

They eat in the afternoon.

They rest all night.
They cannot live in cold weather. They migrate
as far as 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers).

Millions of monarch
butterflies rest together in
trees. The branches of the
trees sometimes bend down
from the weight of so many
butterflies.

Honk! Canada geese fly low
across the sky. They form a V- shape.

When northern lakes freeze, Canada geese
migrate south. They stop to eat and rest
on water open along the way.

A flock of Canada
geese often flies the
same route each year.
It also stops to rest
in the same places.

Grr! Black bears gobble fruits and
nuts in the fall. They gain as much as
pounds (14 kilograms) each week.

Black bears look for a small den.
They sleep in this safe place
when cold weather comes.

Black bears hibernate for most
of winter. But sometimes, they
wake up on very warm days.
They might go look for food.
Then they go back to sleep.

Ssss! Rattlesnakes slither to their dens in fall.

They hibernate in caves or holes in the ground
that will not freeze.

Hundreds of snakes may gather in one place.
Rattlesnakes often return to the same den each year.

Young rattlesnakes are born
in fall. They sometimes do
not eat until spring.

Hop! Snowshoe hares
change color in fall.
Their brown fur helps
them hide most of the year.

But in winter, they must be
white to match the snow.

This color protects
them from animals
that might eat them.

Snowshoe hares stay
very still when they
sense danger.

Munch! White - tailed deer
crunch acorns and grind leaves in fall.

Eating lots of food helps deer get
extra fat on their bodies. They live
off their fat during the winter.
Food is harder to find in winter.

White- tailed deer grow
thicker coats in the fall. Their
coats keep them warm.