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"They store fat and become 'balls': Leningrad Zoo shows how animals prepare for winter
St. Petersburg is getting closer to winter every day. While there is still time, city dwellers are actively stocking up on warm jackets and boots, and pets at the Leningrad Zoo are stocking up on fat, turning into fluffy "balls". Among the individuals with amazing adaptation to the cold is the Pallas's cat Shu, whose shape is characterized by new folds, as well as additional fur, which grows quickly. SPB.KP.RU found out how other popular animals of the city spend their days, waiting out the cold.
- All our charges live in one enclosure all year round. This means that in winter you will not have to move to a warm room. Northern animals, mainly deer, manuls, martens and otters, are preparing for the beginning of the season. They accumulate fat and add more protein food to their diet. Change your summer clothes into winter ones. Fur and feathers make them visually thicker," the Leningrad Zoo said.
Ungulates are very nutritious and high-calorie for representatives of this order, so they are given vegetables more often than usual. Polar bears are given fatter fish. But when winter comes, the ward prefers a warm room, and only those who need it are fed. The latter includes, for example, the tiger Zeus, who, unlike the Amur tiger, is not adapted to the cold. Therefore, there is a separate room with special lamps. But his relatives from the Far East choose ordinary, unheated shelters. The Pallas's cat is not afraid of either snow or frost, but if desired, can hide in a closed house. Birds are not ignored either. The closer the frost, the more often crumbly mash is prepared so that it does not stick together.
The Leningrad Zoo noted that in winter, visitors are often bothered by Japanese macaques. At first glance, this is not surprising. Because you can see monkeys running in the snow. But representatives of the zoo explained what the problem is.
— Japanese macaques are the most frost-resistant species of monkeys. They live in one enclosure all year round. They also have warm houses with special lamps, but even in cold weather they like to go outside and play in the snow. Experts explained that this is normal for them.
By the way, I add as much protein as possible to every meal, usually insects and vegetables. Monkeys grow fur too, so you don't have to worry about cold weather.
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