Gluco neo-genisis.

With the one set of winter, food can run short for certain species of mammals. They face a simple choice, They either move with the food or they hibernate. Only three British mammals hibernate: Bats, hedgehogs and hazel dormice ( edible dormice hibernate as well). They are all mainly insectivores, As there are not so many insects about in winter they all hibernate. That is how and this is why: They all have to master gluco neo-genesis. They learn to chill their bodies right down and slow their heartbeats down as well. They also reduce their metabolism down by ninety nine per-cent. Before they hibernate they take on two types of fat. The first type of fat they take on is white atopos fat which through the process of gluco neo-genesis they get their energy. The second type of fat they take on is brown atopos fat. This is equally essential because while they still metabolise at one per-cent they still produce waste. They have to wake up from hibernation as well to burn brown atopos fat to produce heat as well. While they wake up they have a quick wee and poo and also have a quick sleep, because they don`t truly sleep while hibernating.

The ranidae family.(frogs)

Part one the common frog.

A common frog.

Open woods,ponds,shady habitats and lush pastures are typical places where you might find common frogs. They don`t like to be to far from water. But they are now becoming more common in our gardens that have ponds. They are found throughout most of Britain. Frogs eat small insects and slugs and snails, they have got long sticky tongues that shoot out to enable them to catch their prey. Because of this they are a welcome visitor to anyone`s garden. They like to hunt at night when it is cooler, during the day they may be seen hiding in tall grass. The common frog lives in damp places on land for most of the year. They are well camouflaged so they normally blend in well. They have a dark patch behind their eye which is distinctive, But their body colour varies from dark-greenish to grey or even sometimes chestnut-yellow with  Their skin being moist. On rare occasions you may evan see an albino common frog. They have a rounded snout with large black pupils that are flecked with gold and brown, their nostrils and eyes are positioned on the top of their head . Their eyes have  transparent inner eye-lids to protect them when they are under water. The female is about three inches in length with the male being slightly smaller. Adult common frogs have long hind legs with shorter fore legs. Their hind legs have webbed toes whereas their fore legs don`t. They use their hind legs to enable them to leap or hop, they do not crawl like toads.  They hibernate from November through to early March depending on the climate, they hibernate in a hiberaculum in a sheltered place on land or at the bottom of ponds. Frogs have lungs so when on land they use these but when under water they breathe through their skin. After hibernation they emerge to migrate to their breeding ponds. Common frogs will head to the same breeding ponds every year, it`s usually the pond that they were born in. The males arrive first, then the females look for a mate to breed with. The males will hold their own territory and carry on croaking to try and attract a female. When they mate they the position they take is called the ampelexus position. This can last for several days, The male sits on the top of the females back and grasps around her middle section, This normally happens in the water but can occasionally be on land. The female then releases her eggs, upto two thousand eggs which are called spawn. The male fertilizes her eggs with a milky liquid substance. The eggs then form together with a gel coating that thickens in the water. This coating helps to protect the newly fertilized eggs, and warms them slightly to speed development. After spawning the adult frogs will stay in the water until the outside temperature warms up, this is normally in April. If there are to many tadpoles in the water they release a chemical called theroxin. This prevents some of the tadpoles from going through the metamorphosis process. The reason they do this is if there are to many tadpoles in the water there will not be enough food for all of them as tadpoles or froglets. Some of them will stay as tadpoles until there is enough food for them and then they will metamorphosis. This enables the tadpoles to develop at different rates and may leave the water as late as September. The first tadpoles hatch after about fourteen days, by about three months old they have developed four legs, ready for life on land. They emerge from the ponds in June or July and are called froglets, they still have a tadpole tail, but this soon disappears. The frogs reach maturity after about two years. The froglets are pre-dated by blackbirds, but as they become frogs they are pre-dated by a host of animals which include crows, herons, grass snakes, hedgehogs, rats, foxes, and cats. They can live for upto eight years in the wild.

                                                                     A common frog.

Things to look out for in November.

The weather is now becoming much more Autumnal, The winds are becoming stronger, with all of the leaves that all have fallen to the ground blowing around. Most of the leaves from the deciduous trees have now fallen. Red wings and fieldfares have now made the long journey from Scandinavia to winter in Britain. They will be seen amongst hawthorn and apple trees, Finding the remaining hawthorn berries and apples. Their have been quite a few mentions of waxwings around Worcestershire. This bird is also a migrant that Winters in Britain. The fallow,sika and red deer will be finishing their rut by now. After the ruts the males, who don`t eat during the rut will feed well getting ready for the onset of winter. The females will also stay together during winter. The females will give birth during may or June of the following year. Chaffiinches and pied wagtails,linnets,bramblings and greenfinches may be seen in mixed flock species( i will be talking about this in a later blog). They are searching for food, which could be any leftover seeds that are still  in the hedgerow or even any late surviving nuts that may still be on the ground. Blue,coal and great tits will be seen on the feeders as they themselves are eating well,getting ready for the cold months ahead as well.  Seven spotted ladybirds will be attempting to enter our houses as they seek somewhere to hibernate over winter. Late migrant red admirals  and comma`s may still be seen amongst the ivy along with queen bumble bees, as long as we havn`t really had a cold snap yet. Wood mice,yellow-necked mice, bank and field voles will still be searching for hazel nuts to eat amongst the leaf litter. Protein rich hazel nuts are important food for a variety of creatures. You can tell what animals have been around by examining the empty shells. A woodmouse will leave a round hole on the side of the hazelnut, with marks of their upper teeth evident. A bank vole will leave a round hole on the top of the hazelnut, with a clearly delineated gnawed edge. A hazel dormouse will leave a round hole on the side of the hazelnut, unlike the woodmouse the edges will be smooth. Hedgehogs will be getting ready to hibernate during November. They use a process called gluco neogenisis to enable them to hibernate, I will be talking about this as well during a later blog. The hedgehogs along with the common dormice and our seventeen species of bats are the only British mammals that hibernate. With the onset of winter food can run short for certain species, so they face the simple choice to move with the food or hibernate and these three species choose to hibernate. Starlings may be seen in large roosts during November, We are not quite sure why they roost in such large numbers, possibilities include safety in numbers, increasing their foraging efficiency or simply for warmth. Its a wonderful sight as they fly around, moving all the time like a shoal of fish in the air then suddenly all descending onto the ground.

British reptiles.

Part six the sand lizard.

This is the final member of British reptile, although some others have been introduced and i will be talking about these in  a later blog. Male sand lizards are probably at their most vibrant with  a bright green flare of scales on the flanks. Accompanying this colour change they become extremely territorial and the presence of other lizards can trigger all sorts of surprising reactions. More heavily built than the common lizard, the sand lizard has two light stripes, sometimes broken, along their back with dark spots between the stripes. Some of the dark spots have pale centres. The male is a greenish colour and the female is a brownish colour, They are both about seven inches in length including their tail. Dry, open country is the home of the sand lizard, mainly the sandy heaths of Hampshire,surrey and dorset. Although there is a small colony living on coastal dunes near Liverpool. The sand lizards population has struggled in recent years as their habitat has given way to farming and forestry. The heath habitat that they live in has to be continually managed to stop trees coning through and the heath reverting back to a woodland habitat. In some areas livestock may be used or deers mat perform the same role to manage the habitat. The sand lizard emerges from its hibernating burrow in march or early April. They may be seen taking in solar radiation in the early hours of the morning. Males normally emerge first, Their winter coat will soon be shed for their new spring breeding colours so they can attract females. In April and may the males will fight for territories and dominance, One adult male may display its flank to intimidate an opponent. The victors will earn the right to then mate with the emerging females, who will show her aggression by opening her mouth and raising and shaking her forefeet alternately, Only mating when she is ready. The male then chases the female before mating and grips her first by the tail, then further forward and finally by the middle of the back. After mating the female then digs a hole in late may or early June. The hole will be dug in a sunny place, Where the sand is soft, then lays her eggs and covers them up. The oval shaped eggs, about half an inch long, hatch after two or three months in late July or early August. The newly hatched are just like the adult lizards but are only about two and a half inches long, they grow rapidly before they hibernate as well at the same time as the adults. The young sand lizards can be distinguished from common lizards by their more conspicuous spots. Beetles,spiders and grasshoppers are their main food, they are often dismembered before being eaten, they feed well during summer to build up reserves in readies for hibernation in late Autumn or early Winter. Sand lizards take about two years to reach maturity, they may live upto about seven or eight years in the wild if they escape the snakes,rats or birds of prey that all prey on them.

Surface area to volume ratio.

Example:- A hedgehog to a woodmouse.

There is a greater surface area to the woodmouse for the volume it has got.So if it is in a cold place it will call down quicker than the hedgehog. The hedgehog has less of a surface area but a greater volume to the woodmouse. So it is easier to keep the  core of the hedgehog warmer. So smaller animals will suffer more quickly. When we get a lot of snow bank and field voles and woodmice will stay under the snow as its actually warmer than being above it, they breathe by punching through the snow making little air holes. Stoats and weasels will suffer because they have lots of surface area to a very small volume.