Why do most animals give birth in the spring? Guidelines for using didactic material Slide1 - Lesson

Fur-bearing animals shed, shedding their warm fur, replacing it with lighter, summer hair (at the end of May, most animals' molting ends).

Many animals give birth to offspring in the spring. Hares have babies (from 8-12) in March, when the frosts are still quite strong, which is why they are also called crustaceans (at this time the snow melts during the day and freezes at night, forming a dense crust). They are born developed, with with open eyes. The hare feeds them well and then leaves. Then any hare that runs past can feed them. 3-4 feedings are enough, since after a week their teeth grow and they begin to feed on their own.

The squirrel gives birth to 5-6 blind and helpless cubs, only after a month and a half do they begin to run fast. Squirrels and hares can have up to three broods per season, especially when there is enough food.

In April, the she-wolf gives birth to offspring. Wolves usually make their lair in a remote place. The wolf feeds the growing wolf cubs with semi-digested food, obtaining it far from its lair, and when the wolf cubs grow teeth, they learn to kill the prey brought to them, and then hunt with their parents.

The fox makes a hole in a secluded place or uses a ready-made hole (for example, a badger hole). She has more than a dozen cubs, so parents have to work hard to feed them. The mother feeds them milk for a short time, and then begins to bring birds and mice, gradually teaching them to catch live prey. It is easy to find a fox hole, because the area around it is very dirty and littered with bones. After 9-10 months, the fox cubs become independent. Both parents take part in raising the young.

The earliest cubs, already in February, appear in the mother bear's den (as a rule, no more than 2-3). They are born blind, small (the size of a three-day puppy) and after a few days they regain their sight. The bear feeds them until April, losing a lot of weight in the process. Then he takes the cubs out of the den. During this period, bears eat everything from insects to random carrion. A meeting with a mother bear at this time is very dangerous, as she protects the cubs from anything that seems suspicious to her.

In May, helpless, naked, blind cubs (3-5) are born to hedgehogs. They grow very quickly and within a month they begin to lead an independent life. Hedgehogs are very useful animals, they destroy large number insects, slugs, mice and attack vipers without fear.

Mink, marten, and other animals have babies. Cubs will also be born in the spring among ungulates: roe deer and elk.

Summer is characterized by the development and increase in offspring in all animals. This is the most favorable time for life: a lot of light and warmth, a lot of food. On hot days, midges, horseflies, and mosquitoes torment not only livestock, but also wild animals that hide from them in water or in open areas. Many insects fly over the flowering meadows, among which the bumblebee, the best pollinator of clover, stands out with its loud buzzing. In June, the hubbub of vocal birds is interrupted by the friendly squeaks of chicks. “Hunting” birds begin to moult: black grouse (siberian grouse), wood grouse, ducks.

In shallow water, crayfish hide in burrows; they have shed their tight shell and now involuntarily hide until a new one is formed.

In early July, the cubs appear bats and lizards. There are many different beetles in the meadows and forests, the chirping of grasshoppers and crickets does not stop, colorful butterflies and dragonflies flutter. At this time the fish becomes lethargic and bites poorly.

In August, birds begin to gather in flocks and migrate. Many animals grow up with young animals that begin an independent life. It is time for fish in reservoirs to feed and grow their young.

Lesson No. 5. Topic: Animals in spring

Target:

1. Show the changes in the lives of animals with the arrival of spring.

2. Trace the connections between living and inanimate nature.

Lesson progress

I. Working on the lesson topic

1. Conversation

What time of year is this poem about?

The snow has melted among the fields,

A stream runs downhill,

And the grass breaks through.

The violets bloomed in the forest,

And dressed in bright green

All bushes and trees.

Today we continue to talk about spring. The topic of our lesson: “Animals in spring”.

- Name the signs of the onset of spring in inanimate nature

(increase in temperature, i.e. increase in the amount of heat)

- Why has it become warmer? (the sun rose higher above the horizon)

- Do changes occur in the lives of wild animals with the onset of warmer weather? Which? (molting) What is shedding?

2. Dictionary

MOLTING - adaptation to environment, preparation for the hot season. Animals exchange their warm fur coats for thinner, shorter and less warm coats.

Some animals change the color of their skin during the process of molting. What animals are these? (hare, squirrel, arctic fox). Why do their colors change? (the ability to be unnoticed by enemies is an adaptation to the environment).

3. Animals that hibernate

What else happens to some animals in the spring?

Watch and listen:

Girl: Misha, tell me how you almost slept through spring!

Bear: Without worries and without anxiety

I slept in a warm den.

Slept all winter until spring

And, of course, I had dreams.

Girl: Suddenly the clubfoot woke up.

He hears a drip.

Bear: What a disaster!

I groped in the dark with my paw

And he jumped up - there was water all around!

Girl: The bear hurried outside

Bear: It's flooding! No time for sleep!

Girl: He got out and saw:

Bear: Puddles! The snow is melting! Spring has come!

- What changed in the bear's life with the arrival of spring? (he awakens from hibernation, leaves the den)

- What other animals awaken from hibernation? (hedgehog, badger, chipmunk)

- Why are they awakening?

It turns out that animals have special clocks in their bodies that keep time regardless of external conditions. If you put such an animal in constant darkness, the internal clock will still show when it is day and when it is night. They also show the time of year, although nothing has changed around the hole. At these hours the winter sleepyheads wake up in their burrows and dens. The bear wakes up in March and from that time on does not sleep, but dozes slightly, waiting for suitable weather to leave the den.

The badger, having also woken up early, often runs out to see the first thaw. He is “easy on his feet,” and he has reserves for the spring. And if winter returns, the chipmunk can still sleep.

4. Flora and fauna in spring

Does it change flora with the onset of warm weather? How? (grass, flowers, leaves appear on trees)

- What are plants for some animals? (food)

Different animals eat differently.

What are the names of animals that eat fruits, seeds, branches and leaves of plants? These are HERBIVORES.

- What are the names of animals that feed on other animals, their fellow animals? These are PREDATORS (or carnivores). Predators are also called BEASTS.

- What are the names of animals that eat both plant and animal foods? OMNIVORES.

Distribution of animals into groups (On the board there are pictures depicting various animals. These could be a squirrel, a hare, a mouse, a fox, an elk, a wolf, a bear, a lynx).

HERBIVOROUS PREDATORS OMNIVORES

Hare wolf bear

Mouse fox squirrel

Elk lynx

- What food chains can be made? What's missing? (plants) Add PLANT to the board.

- Now make up the different food chains.

5. Birth of new offspring

- What important event occurs in animals in the spring? ? (birth of cubs).

- Why in the spring? (in spring, the comfort of the living environment increases: it becomes warmer, and most importantly, there is a lot of food available).

Different animals have different food, its abundance occurs at different times, so not all animals begin to reproduce at the same time.

- Which group of animals give birth to their babies earlier?

(in herbivores)

Why? (unlimited amount of food arrives early)

As scientists have noted, the number of cubs born depends on the animal’s body size. The smaller the animal, the more cubs it has, because... The duration of development of the cubs varies.

- Name the smallest animal listed on the board (mouse).

Voles are very prolific. Newborns develop quickly: 20 days pass from birth to leaving their parents. Over the spring and summer, one mouse can give birth to about 30 voles.

Larger animals (chipmunks, squirrels, hares, hedgehogs) raise their young longer: 1.5 - 2 months, 10 - 15 young are born per season (less than voles).

Listen to what Little Squirrel, Hedgehog, and Little Hare will tell you about their birth.

6. Scene

B.: Oh, hedgehog, how prickly you are!

E.: Yes, my fur coat is prickly, but having such a fur coat, I’m not afraid of anyone. If danger appears, I’ll curl up into a ball, try to touch me, you’ll immediately get a thousand injections.

B.: Were you also born with needles?

E.: Hedgehogs are born without needles and blind. On our pink body we only have a lot of tubercles. Needles appear in their place after a few hours. At first they are soft and light, but gradually harden and darken. My needles grow very quickly.

B.: And I, too, was born naked and blind. But in our hollow I was not cold, because my caring mother warmed me and wrapped me in soft bedding.

Z.: But I don’t remember my mother! And I don't have a home!

B.: How is that? Why?

Z.: I was born right on earth, immediately sighted, covered with fur. Mom fed me milk, left me under a bush and ran away.

E.: And you didn’t feel like eating?

Z.: No, my mother’s milk is nutritious and rich in fat, so I’m not hungry for 3-4 days.

B.: What about the next days?

Z.: And when I want to eat, I begin to move, leaving a fragrant footprint from my paws. Any hare finds me along this trail and feeds me milk. And again for 3 - 4 days. And when I grow up, I start eating grass.

7. Discussion of the content of the skit:

- How is a hedgehog born?

- Why is the baby squirrel not cold in the hollow?

- Why doesn't the little bunny know his mother?

8. Caring parents

By leaving the newborn rabbits, the hare thereby shows care for them. An abandoned hare has no smell, it sits motionless, has good protective coloring, and no predator can smell it even at close range.

But how do larger animals - predators - raise their young? The time they raise their cubs increases to 1 year, the number of cubs is from 4 to 6.

Both the wolf and the she-wolf raise their cubs. Wolf cubs remain under the care of their parents in their den for a very long time. At 1.5 - 2 months they just stop sucking mother's milk, and parents begin to accustom them to regular food. Wolf cubs are first fed regurgitated, semi-digested food. Then they begin to bring killed prey and help the cubs tear it apart. Closer to autumn, they are brought half-dead prey and taught to kill it. In the fall, young people learn to hunt under the guidance of their parents.

Foxes leave their parents in the fall, and wolves accompany their children all winter, and in the spring they begin an independent life.

Thus, the larger the predators, the fewer offspring they have, since the rearing time is a whole year (remember small animals, for which this time is much shorter).

What is the largest animal? (bear)

The bear takes the longest to raise its cubs. In the second half of February, the female bear gives birth to small cubs, the size of a mitten, weighing only 500 g. They are blind and naked. The bear keeps them warm on her belly among her fur, warming them with her breath. She feeds them with her milk, but they do not grow, since the bear has little milk, because the bear does not eat anything in winter. Having left the den, the cubs begin to grow quickly. In the fall, they go back to the den with their mother and only by the new fall do they leave the family. Thus, bears raise their children for 1.5 - 2 years.

In addition to the parents, last year’s babysitters are also involved in raising the babies of some animals. In a bear family such a nanny is called a pestun, among wolves it is called a pereyarok (young wolf).

All animals feed their young with milk, which is why they are also called MAMMALS.

All parents take care of their young. How? (protected from enemies, fed, taught to find food, escape from enemies, hunt).

- Why are they doing this? (prepare cubs for adulthood)

In case of danger for the cubs, mothers resort to various tricks. The fox tries to take them away from her home. If people have been near the hole, they drag the children in their teeth to a safe place. When a man appears, the hare takes him away from the bunny, pretending to be wounded, sick, or trying to attract attention to herself by banging her paws on the ground.

9. Forest in spring

In spring, the forest is filled with magical sounds: birdsong, murmuring streams, buzzing, croaking - all this is wonderful music. But sometimes a person adds “his own” to this music - a loud scream, a tape recorder or transistor turned on at full power. This noise negatively affects the inhabitants of the forest. So, bumblebees and bees cannot fly into the air from a loud tape recorder or from a loud scream. Birds and animals will leave their nests and holes forever from such entertainment. This is especially bad in the spring. Why?

It turns out that plants also react negatively to loud noise - they slow down their growth.

So how should we behave in the forest? (Listen to nature, observe, enjoy the beauty, but do not make noise).

Listen to a story about a hedgehog.

And the hedgehog ran away at night.

Nobody offended him.

He was sad already in the morning,

He was sad yesterday.

What was he, stupid, yearning for?

Nobody pestered him

We loved him so much

And ironed and washed,

But he curled up and trembled,

And then he took it and ran away. Why did the hedgehog run away?

Spiders scurried in the grass,

Crickets chirped softly.

WITH native nature in the world

The hedgehog was in his apartment.

- Why can't you take hedgehogs from the forest? (For a hedgehog the forest is home. The hedgehog eats forest pests poisonous insects. In captivity (corners nature) hedgehogs are more susceptible to various diseases and then become carriers of them).

- Imagine that you find a cub in the forest. She seemed poor and abandoned to you and you took him home. A year later he grew up, you got tired of keeping him and you decided to release him into the wild.

a) What awaits him in the forest? (He will die, since he is not trained either to get food or to escape from enemies).

b) What mistakes did you make when taking him home? (You cannot take the cubs, and if you have already taken them, then feed them for the rest of their lives or give them to the zoo).

Conclusion: Nature is our home, and much depends on a person to ensure order in this house.

So that the forests can bloom

And gardens and rivers,

Take care of all living things

You are in this world.

Love nature

Every blade of grass!

Be friends with the birds

Take care of the blade of grass.

Don't bring home a hedgehog

Don't touch the butterfly

Student, always remember:

There aren't that many of them!

III. RESULT OF THE LESSON

We talked about animal life in spring. Why do animals shed in the spring? Why are babies born in the spring? Why do herbivores have more babies than carnivores? What is the main question we answer in ecology lessons?

Wild animals in spring.

08.08.2014 3311 0

Date:06.03.2013 Lesson number 47 Item: knowledge of the world.

Lesson topic:Wild animals in spring. Lesson type A lesson in learning new knowledge.

Goals and objectives:

· Form a concept about animal life in spring ;

· promote the development of speech, the ability to describe animals;

· foster respect for the environment;

· enrich and expand vocabulary;

MO:verbal, visual, practical.

FOPD:individual, frontal.

TCO:textbook, observation diary, pencils, drawings.

Lesson progress:

1. Organizational moment.

Greetings. Psychological attitude.

2. Repetition of what has been learned.

Guessing riddles about plants.

He grows beautiful, gentle,

Blue or snow-white.

It blooms even earlier

Than the ice on the river will melt.

Bloomed right on time

First March flower. (Snowdrop)

I'm making my way in April -

All the fields have turned green!

I cover it like a carpet

Field, meadow and schoolyard (Grass)

They became very bright in May

All meadows, clearings, parks.

Among the green stems

Multi-colored buds.

Blue and red

Delicate, beautiful.

Let's collect bouquets from them,

What is this, what is this? (Flowers)

3. Work on new topic lesson.

Reading a poem

Without worries and without anxiety I groped with my paw in the dark
I slept in a warm den. I groped in the dark with my paw
He slept all winter until spring And jumped up - there was water all around!
And, of course, I had dreams. The bear hurried outside

Suddenly the clubfoot woke up. It's flooding! No time for sleep!
He hears a drip. he got out and saw:

What a disaster! Puddles! The snow is melting! Spring has come!

What changed in the bear's life with the arrival of spring? (he awakens from hibernation, leaves the den)

What animals are still waking up from hibernation? (hedgehog, badger, chipmunk)

Why do you think they are awakening?

It turns out that the body has a special clock that keeps track of time regardless of external conditions. If you put such an animal in constant darkness, the internal clock will still show when it is day and when it is night. They also show the time of year, although nothing has changed around the hole. At these hours, winter “sleepers” wake up in holes and dens. The bear wakes up in March and from that time on does not sleep, but dozes slightly, waiting for suitable weather to leave the den. The badger, having also woken up early, often runs out to see the first thaw. He is “easy on his feet”, and he has reserves for the spring. And if winter returns, the badger can still sleep.

What important event occurs in animals in the spring? (birth of cubs)

Different animals have different food, its abundance occurs at different times, so not all animals begin to reproduce at the same time.

Which group of animals give birth to their babies earlier? (in herbivores)

Why? As scientists have noted, the number of cubs born depends on the animal’s body size. The smaller the animal, the more cubs it has, because... The duration of development of the cubs varies.

Mice - voles are very fertile. Newborns develop quickly: 20 days pass from birth to leaving their parents. For spring-summer one mouse can produce offspring of about 30 voles.

Larger animals (chipmunks, squirrels, hares, hedgehogs) raise their young longer: 1.5 – 2 months. During the season, 10-15 fewer cubs are born than voles.

But how do larger animals – predators – raise their young?

Wolf cubs remain under the care of their parents in their den for a very long time. At 1.5 - 2 months they just stop sucking mother's milk, and parents begin to accustom them to regular food. Wolf cubs are first fed regurgitated food. Then they begin to bring killed prey and help the cubs tear it apart. Closer to autumn, they are brought half-dead prey and taught to kill it. In the fall, young people learn to hunt under the guidance of their parents. Wolves accompany their children all winter, and in the spring they begin to be independent. Thus, the larger the predators, the fewer offspring they have, because the time of their upbringing is a whole year

Listen to how a bear raises its offspring.

In addition to the parents, last year’s babysitters are also involved in raising the babies of some animals. In a bear family, such a nanny is called a pestun; among wolves, it is called a pereyarok (young wolf). All animals feed their young with milk, which is why they are also called mammals.

All parents take care of their young. How? (protected from enemies, fed, taught to find food, escape from enemies, hunt)

In case of danger for the cubs, mothers resort to various tricks. The fox tries to take them away from her home. If people have been near the hole, they drag the children in their teeth to a safe place. When a man appears, the hare takes him away from the bunny, pretending to be wounded, sick, or trying or trying to attract attention to herself by banging her paws on the ground.

Work from the textbook pp. 100-101

4. Physical education minute

Hares were running in the forest (running in place)

We met a fox there (wag its tail)

Jump-jump, jump-jump, (jumping in place)

They ran under a bush. (sit down)

5. Consolidation of the studied material.

Complete the sentences:

In spring, animals develop _________________.

Animals feed their young __________________.

In spring, animals change _________________.

Working in an observation diary.

6. Homework

Page 100-101 read, retell. Answer questions.

7. Lesson summary

What new did you learn in the lesson?

Awakening Spring has come, animals that have been sleeping all winter are waking up. They emerge from their shelters very thin and begin to look for food. - Name them.

What animals wake up in the spring? badgers lemurs dwarf frogs gophers Australian echidnas marmots hamsters bats hedgehogs Dormouse chipmunks Hibernation occurs in both winter and summer. In winter, many animals have difficult or no access to food, so they are forced to hibernate in order to survive until spring. Animals hibernating slow down their breathing, their body temperature and pulse decrease. During hibernation, all vital processes slow down in animals. Before hibernating, animals feed heavily in order to accumulate enough energy for the duration of hibernation.

Shedding wool In the spring, animals molt. They exchange their warm fur coat for a light summer one. In animals that do not hibernate, autumn and spring molting is observed annually (dog, cat). In mammals that hibernate during winter, molting occurs only in the summer. The fur color of the hare and squirrel changes. Hares change coat color in order to be less noticeable after the white snow melts.

Offspring Most animals give birth to young in the spring. Adult animals take care of their offspring: they feed them, protect them from enemies.

Arrival of birds Why do many birds fly away in autumn? warm regions? Why do they come back in the spring? What are the names of birds that fly away to warmer regions in the fall and return in the spring? And now we will find out which birds return to their native lands.

Guess the riddles You will recognize him immediately: White-billed, black-faced. He walks importantly behind the plow, finds worms and bugs. Faithful guardian and friend of the fields, The first messenger of warm days. Rooks arrive earlier than other birds, in mid-March. They are called the harbingers of spring. They nest in trees. They build several large nests. They live in colonies amicably and noisily.

Next riddle I appear before you Like a young messenger of spring. I'm glad to see my friends, Well, my name is... These birds nest in a wide variety of places: in hollows of trees, under the roofs of houses, in crevices, they can use the nests of other birds. But people, trying to attract this useful bird, birdhouses are hung, and starlings willingly settle in them. Starlings are useful because they destroy a large number of harmful insects.

Next riddle He builds his nest in the field, Where the plants stretch. His songs and flight entered the poem. He wants to fly straight, he wants to hang in the air, he falls like a stone from the heights, and he sings and sings in the fields. The lark makes a nest in meadows and sown fields. The nest is very simple, built in a hole on the ground, among the grass. The lark uses the stems and roots of grass, the inside of the nest is lined with soft wool, horsehair and rest in peace. He hides his nest very well, so it is difficult to detect.

And another mystery: Never builds a nest for itself. He leaves the eggs to his neighbors and doesn’t remember the chicks. The cuckoo arrives at the end of April, beginning of May. It does not build its own nests, but throws eggs to other birds. The cuckoo is a voracious bird, so foster parents It is very difficult to feed the cuckoo. But despite this, the bird brings great benefits: it eats caterpillars that other birds do not eat. After all, among the caterpillars there are poisonous ones. And the cuckoo eats everyone.

Have you ever thought about how we should treat birds? Choose the correct answer. Hang birdhouses in the spring. Shoot birds with a slingshot. Help a sick or injured bird. Destroy birds' nests. Feed birds in early spring. Bring home healthy chicks. Study birds.

Seasons play a huge role in the lives of animals. For them, each season is a period of specific activity. While a person can reschedule his plans or change his lifestyle, animals are not capable of this. Living according to the rules of nature is in their blood.

Spring

How animals welcome spring

Spring is a period of new life for all animals. After a long and calm winter, all representatives of the animal world begin to actively prepare for the onset of a hot summer.

Spring days in the life of animals are accompanied by a change in coat - from winter to summer. Squirrels change their gray skin to bright red. They can increasingly be found in parks. Squirrels jump through the trees in search of food.

After hibernation The chipmunks wake up. Outwardly, it can be confused with a squirrel, but the main difference is the five dark stripes on the back. Chipmunks have been stocking up on food since winter, before they hibernate. Therefore, with the arrival of spring, these animals are not puzzled by the search for what they can get enough of.

But bears, also hibernating in winter, do not care about what they will eat after a long sleep. Therefore, in the spring they come out of their dens in search of food.

For wolves, spring is the time when they breed. Little wolf cubs stay in their parents' den until they have the vision to navigate well in space. Being small, they are very similar to foxes, only the tips of their tails are not white, but gray.

Hares begin to shed, exchanging their winter white coat for a gray and less warm coat. Also raccoon dogs, waking up after hibernation, change their color to a less noticeable one. The coat color is great value. In winter, the skins are white, this makes it possible to blend into the snow-white cover of the earth if a predator is hunting nearby. Gray wool also serves as a kind of camouflage in summer.

In early spring, hedgehogs wake up, because in April they have to breed.

Summer

Animal life in summer

Summer is the most favorable period in the life of animals. Long sunny days, warmth and plenty of food undoubtedly delight the animals. They are especially active at this time of year. They are not yet preparing for winter, but they are preparing their offspring for a harsh period. Therefore, animals are in constant search of food for their young in order to satiate them useful substances and vitamins.

Herbivorous mammals sometimes leave their habitats because what they eat grows everywhere. Fresh juicy leaves allow them to stock up on useful substances for future use.

For birds, summer is a feast, because they can find delicacy absolutely everywhere. Midges, worms, caterpillars, fish - all this is their food in summer time. Birds are also assistants to gardeners. They eat all pests that can destroy the crop.

Despite the fact that summer is the most active period in the life of animals, there is one exception. Gophers prefer to rest on these warm days. And to saturate themselves with vital energy, they go hunting at night.

The most active animals in summer period are squirrels, wolves, bears, various rodents. This time is also loved by: giraffes, camels, hyenas, cheetahs, monkeys and many others.

Autumn

Changes in the lives of animals in autumn

Autumn is a period of preparation for winter cold. Their life in winter depends on how they live the autumn, what they manage to do during this time. Furry, feathered, predators - everyone must take this preparation responsibly, because their own lives and the lives of their offspring are at stake.

Insects are the first to feel the arrival of cold weather. They begin to build burrows for themselves and look for shelter, which most often comes from fallen leaves or tree bark. This is where they will spend the entire winter.

Butterflies have their own way of surviving cold period- they turn into pupae.

Also, toads, frogs, snakes and lizards are among the first to hide. Some frogs live closer to bodies of water so that when cold weather sets in, they can dive into them and sleep at the bottom until warm days return. But toads, on the contrary, hide on land. Their winter refuge is tree roots or rodent burrows.

Forest animals in autumn period They begin to eat often and nutritiously, because they need to accumulate a supply of substances and fat that will help them survive in severe frosts.

And squirrels, mice and moles begin to stock up on food for future use. They bring as many nuts, berries and cones into the house as possible.

Most animals go through the natural process of pre-winter molting. They again change their skins to warmer and less attractive ones.

Winter

How animals winter

As a rule, only those animals that are capable of this hibernate. And those who are categorically afraid of the cold flee to the southern regions.

Animal life in winter time freezes. In the fall, everyone prepared shelters for themselves, in which they now live. The cold is not terrible for those warmly dressed in their furs: hares, squirrels, arctic foxes, foxes, wolves, moose and many others.

And some simply fall asleep: raccoons, marmots, chipmunks, badgers, bears and other animals.

Mollusks bury themselves in mud for the winter. Wasps, bumblebees, and tarantulas also prepared minks for themselves.

Newts hide on the shore, in a thick layer of fallen leaves or branched tree roots.

Gophers, hamsters and jerboas prefer to sleep in winter.

At the end of August - beginning of September, gophers, hamsters, and jerboas climb into their deep holes and fall asleep.