Wildlife

Snakes do not hibernate, they brumate. Here is where they go in winter, at what temperature they shut down, and why some dens hold thousands of them.

Two real species carry the name Japanese flying squirrel: the palm sized momonga and the cat sized musasabi. Here is how they differ, how far they glide, and why you cannot own one.

Every domestic rabbit belongs to one species, while North America holds about 15 wild ones. The breeds, the body types and how to tell them apart.

Possums feed from dusk to dawn, with a peak in the first hours after dark. A daytime opossum is usually hungry, not sick. Here is the full schedule.

Arctic foxes rest comfortably at 58 degrees below zero. Here is how the fur, the paws, the fat reserves and the caching habit add up to survival.

Skunks forage from dusk to dawn and sleep underground by day. Why a daytime sighting usually is not rabies, where they den, and what actually keeps them out of a yard.

Cave bats hibernate four to six months in a hibernaculum while tree bats migrate south. Where they go, how cold is too cold, and why white nose syndrome kills.

Turtles brumate rather than hibernate, spending four to six months in pond mud or soil. How long it lasts, whether they can freeze, and how to tell if one is alive.

Rabbits are not nocturnal but crepuscular, with activity peaks at dawn and dusk. Here is their real schedule hour by hour, for wild cottontails and pet rabbits.

Most squirrels die before their first birthday, but one that reaches adulthood averages six years. Here are the real numbers by species.