About the frost resistance of some animals (8 photos)

Several living creatures that do well in severe frosts.





The cold is not only a reason to wrap yourself in a blanket and drink some tea and lemon. This is a real killer, from whose touch many living beings die. But at the same time, new ones appear that are capable of maintaining internal fire in the cold. And depending on the method of protection, the limit of resistance to cold can be completely different.



Emperor penguins are the invited guests of this article. They overcome frosts with the power of friendship. Birds gather in crowds so dense that the temperature in the center can be 50°C higher than outside!

Let's take people, for example. We are still bastards. When the thermometer drops below 20 degrees, the body already has to engage thermoregulation mechanisms, which will help retain heat. But with the help of technology, we have improved a lot.





The ants, by the way, followed the same path. Insects are guaranteed to die at 0°C, regardless of life stage. But the workers overcame the cold with the help of competent urban planning. Their wintering chambers are located at a depth of 40-50 centimeters. A thick layer of earth and snow acts as a heat insulator, and the heat generated by the bodies maintains an acceptable temperature. Therefore, ants calmly survive cold temperatures of −30-40°C. And the species that settled in the tundra add natural antifreeze to their blood and can already compete with polar explorers.



An anthill like this has a decent chance of not surviving until spring. Its thermal insulation is broken!

But reptiles and amphibians are guaranteed to pass out, otherwise they will not survive the winter. Moreover, viviparous lizards, the northernmost reptiles on the planet, carefully hide their secrets of frost resistance. Studies show that animals do not tolerate even slight cooling. However, they survive even in forest-tundras, where air temperatures can drop to -45-50°C.



Viviparous lizard is about to give birth

Of the cold-blooded vertebrates, only the Siberian salamander bypasses them. This relative of the newt is truly legendary. One remarkable fact speaks about its ability to survive low temperatures. In 1973, a team of Soviet scientists explored the Chukotka permafrost and discovered a salamander frozen in the ice. When the salamander was warmed up, the animal came to its senses and lived in the laboratory for another six months. The amphibian would have lived even longer if scientists had not wanted to open it. Radiocarbon dating has shown that the baby salamander was born about 90 years ago!



Even the salamander goes into suspended animation reluctantly. It remains active down to -3°C!

And all this time, representatives of the Arctic fauna roamed above it: arctic foxes, reindeer, lemmings and other animals, quite capable of withstanding frost of -40°C without these suspended animations of yours. But the musk ox outdid them all. This animal is considered the most frost-resistant mammal on the planet. Its four-layer coat creates a meter-long fur coat, from which only its muzzle protrudes. Additionally, a thick layer of fat is hidden under the fur - another excellent heat insulator. Thanks to this protection, the musk ox manages to withstand temperatures of -70°C.



The musk ox is one of the few surviving representatives of the glacial megafauna

But the most ordinary butterfly surpassed him! Some species of butterflies have developed incredible resilience. In laboratory conditions, swallowtail butterfly pupae are able to withstand temperatures down to -196°C! Their secret is special protein compounds in the intercellular fluid. They are points of crystallization. Water turns into ice outside the cells without damaging them. And the cells themselves, dried and dormant, remain safe and sound.



It’s hard to imagine that this cutie is more tenacious than that huge musk ox.