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Photograph by Jordi Bas Casas/NHPA
Text by NGS staff
National Geographic Kids magazine, November 2008Arctic Fox—Summer
Foxes change from brown fur to white when the season changes from fall to winter and days become shorter. -
Photograph by Steven J. Kazlowski/Alamy
Arctic Fox—Fall
Decreasing daylight triggers these Arctic animals' bodies to make less of the pigment melanin. Melanin is the substance inside hair or feathers that gives them color. -
Photograph by Daniel Cox/Photolibrary
Arctic Fox—Winter
Once a fox stops producing much melanin, its whole coat is a dazzling white. In the spring the reverse happens. -
Photograph by Tim Fitzharris/Minden Pictures
Snowshoe Hare—Summer
Snowshoe hares are well known for their patchy-colored camouflage. -
Photograph by Doug Lindstrand/ Alaska Stock
Snowshoe Hare—Fall
Their winter hair grows in patches, rather than showing up evenly. -
Photograph by Michael Quniton/Minden Pictures
Snowshoe Hare—Winter
This adaptation makes it difficult for predators to distinguish them from the landscape. -
Photograph by Michael Durham/Minden Pictures
Collared Lemming—Summer
Collared lemmings are the only rodents with coats that change to a white color. They have another interesting adaptation to winter. -
Photograph by Andrey Zvoznikov/Nature Picture Library
Collared Lemming—Winter
As snow starts to fall, lemmings grow oversize claws on the third and fourth toes of their front feet. This allows them to dig tunnels in the snow all winter. Staying below the surface helps them avoid predators while they shovel in search of food. By spring, their intense burrowing wears down their claws to a normal size again. -
Photograph by Michael Durham/Minden Pictures
Ptarmigan—Summer
The ptarmigan (TAR-mih-guhn) is a bird with feathers that change from brown to white, providing camouflage in the snow. -
Photograph by Chris Schenk/Minden Pictures
Ptarmigan—Fall
Feathers on their legs and feet help keep the birds warm. Downy feathers close to their skin trap body heat. Just as insulation in a house keeps warm air inside during winter, this bird's natural insulation makes freezing conditions more bearable. -
Photograph by Michael Quinton/Minden Pictures
Ptarmigan—Winter
The birds also fly into banks of powdery snow, creating little burrows that are warmer than outside temperatures. -
Photograph by Chris Schenk/Minden Pictures
Ermine—Summer
Some animals don't turn completely white, even in the heart of winter. The ermine is one of them. -
Photograph by Thomas Mangelsen/Minden Pictures
Ermine Black Tail Tip—Winter
This weasel wears black on the very top of its tail year-round. Why? This black blotch is a valuable decoy during attacks by flying predators. -
Photograph by Thomas Mangelsen/Minden Pictures
Ermine—Winter
Studies have shown that hungry hawks have a harder time catching an ermine with a black tip on its tail than they do seizing a weasel that is completely white. When hawks swoop down to attack, the black tip confuses them.
