Marvels of an Arctic Winter | America’s National Parks

as the months of winter pass only the
hardiest of creatures will be able to
survive out in the open
seemingly resigned to their fate but
under the tundra some creatures are
pulling off a small biological miracle
the hibernating ground squirrels body
temperature has actually dropped below
freezing every two to three weeks he’ll
start to shiver warming himself back up
to normal temperatures a mysterious key
to his survival the winters Sun barely
breaks the horizon and during the almost
perpetual night of the Arctic winter
temperatures can plummet to lower than
50 degrees below zero
the fantastical Northern Lights billow
and twist all winter above the Brooks
Range
some native peoples believe the Northern
Lights are the dancing spirits of the
Dead science has an equally otherworldly
explanation these sheets of light happen
when charged particles from the Sun
caught by the Earth’s magnetic field
streamed down at the poles where they
react with the atmosphere either way
they are enchanting
finally it’s early spring
after about seven months the arctic
squirrel shivers himself awake ending
his long hibernation ordeal
he’s lost about half his body weight and
wakes up hungry for food and female
companionship