Animals In Autumn (1957)

[Music] The woods and fields are bright with autumn colors. The weather these days is crisp and clear. In autumn, there are many signs of animal activities, for this is the time when deer and other animals of the forest are getting ready for winter. The raccoon has its way of preparing for winter, and so has every other animal. When winter comes, food will be scarce. Most birds, like the robins, don't stay to face the problems of winter. Most of the robins fly south to warmer climates where food will be easier to find. The wild geese fly south, too. Animals that travel from one part of the land to another are said to migrate. The great flocks of geese, as they migrate, are one of nature's most interesting sites. Few kinds of insects migrate, too. Many of the monarch butterflies go south in autumn. But most butterflies and moths and other insects will freeze when winter comes. This caterpillar has hatched from the egg laid by a moth. In autumn, the moth caterpillar spins a cocoon like this about itself. If we cut this cocoon open, we can see the developing insect inside. The caterpillar has changed into a pupa and can live through winter in this interesting protective case. In autumn, the grasshopper lays eggs in the ground, where they will remain through the winter until they hatch in spring. But the grasshopper will die. The bees are getting ready for winter in a different way. They are busy gathering nectar, which they make into honey. Although some will die with the autumn frosts, most of them will stay in the hive eating the honey. They will protect themselves from the cold by crowding together. Some animals will sleep through the whole winter. This turtle will bury itself in the mud and sleep until spring. Frogs, too, sleep in the mud at the bottom of ponds and streams. Animals that become inactive and sleep through the winter are said to hibernate. The fish don't hibernate. Fish, turtles, and frogs are coldblooded. Their blood temperature changes with the temperature of their surroundings. Cold weather makes them sluggish, and in winter, their need for food is greatly reduced. The warm-blooded animals have their ways of preparing for winter, too. Here on the bank of this pond is a muskrat. It eats bark, reeds, and grasses. In autumn, it's busy building a house. The house not only protects it in winter, but if food gets too scarce, the muskrat can eat the grass walls of its house. The raccoon is a semi-hibernating animal. That is, it will sleep through the coldest winter days, wake up on warmer days, and leave its shelter to hunt for more food. The raccoon uses its paws almost like hands. It can move much too fast for this little frog to escape. [Music] In autumn, even small insects which it finds in this dead tree help make a meal. Skunks, too, are semi-hibernating animals. They must be able to find much food in autumn if they are to survive the winter. They'll spend most of winter curled up in a hole, but may come out on warmer days to explore and search for more [Music] food. This golden mantled ground squirrel is a true hibernating animal like the cold-blooded frogs and turtles we saw earlier. In autumn, this ground squirrel must eat enough food to enable it to survive its winter sleep. Its coat becomes much thicker. When winter arrives, it will be curled up and will hibernate until spring. This ground squirrel, called a flicker tail, also hibernates. So many of these animals live in North Dakota that it's known as the flicker tail state. In autumn, the flicker tail makes a comfortable den for its winter sleep. It digs deep into the ground where it will be safe while it hibernates. [Music] Yes, the flicker tail is a busy animal in [Music] autumn. This type of ground squirrel prepares a different kind of den. It is gathering dried grass. And if we follow it underground, we can see what a cozy nest it's making for its winter sleep. Some animals that don't hibernate are busy in autumn gathering and storing food to eat during winter. This little animal lives in the Rocky Mountains. It's a pah or coni and is a relative of the rabbit. This little harvester actually dries a crop of leaves in the sun to make hay. It will store the hay and use it as food during winter. Other animals that don't hibernate, like this fox, must keep hunting for food through the winter. The jack rabbit stays active, too. And in autumn, as in winter, it must hide from its old enemy, the fox. Luckily for the rabbit, its color is almost the same as the color of the autumn grass. This type of protective coloring helps many animals escape their enemies. But already there's a change taking place in the jack rabbit's [Music] coloring. Notice the white behind its ears. It will be almost all white by the time the first snow comes. This time the fox has to give up. A few weeks later, the jack rabbit has its winter coat of fur. But nature has played a trick on it because it hasn't snowed [Music] yet. This weasel, too, is in trouble. Its fur has turned from brown to white in the past few weeks, and now it's easy to find by its enemy, the hawk. The weasel has killed a field mouse for food. But until the snow comes, it doesn't dare move very far from its hole. To escape his enemies, he'll have to be very cautious. [Music] The deer live in the cold all winter, too. Deer spend autumn grazing on leaves and grass and storing fat. Food will be hard to get when the winter snows come. This fawn is getting ready for its first winter. Its coat is getting thick and heavy. The bucks with their beautiful antlers spar with one another. Their antlers and their fast legs help protect them from their enemies. So, in autumn, we find the animals of the forest preparing to survive the coming winter. Some, like these bear cubs, will live through the winter in a state of semi-hibernation. Others, like the ground squirrels, will go into deep hibernation until spring. Still others, like the deer, will remain active through the winter. Some animals like the pah are busy gathering and storing food to eat during [Music] winter. Others like this ground squirrel and the muskrat are busy preparing homes in which they will live during [Music] winter. Many animals show a body change in autumn. The change of color in the fur of the weasel and the jack rabbit are examples of protective color. [Music] Another body change in some animals is the thickening of the fur coat. We've seen that the pupa stage of moths and butterflies help such insects survive the winter. Others like the grasshopper die but leave eggs that will hatch in spring. Other animals like the ducks and geese and most birds migrate southward. [Music] So, we see that autumn is the time of year when animals in many different ways are getting ready for the coming winter. [Music]