By Professor Bubbles your frog scientist who loves cozy winter science 🐸🔬
🐾 Snow Looks Cold but It Can Be Warm
Snow feels freezing when you touch it.
So it might sound strange to hear this
Snow can actually keep animals warm
In winter many animals hide under snow on purpose.
Why would they do that
Let us discover the surprising science behind snow as a winter blanket.
❄️ Snow Is Full of Air
Snow is not solid like ice.
It is made of millions of tiny ice crystals with air trapped between them.
This trapped air is very important.
Air is a poor conductor of heat.
That means heat does not move through it easily.
Because of this
Snow can slow down the loss of heat.
Professor Bubbles says
Snow is like a fluffy jacket made of ice and air
🌡️ Snow Works Like Insulation
Insulation is something that keeps warmth inside.
Snow does this very well.
Under a layer of snow:
- the temperature stays more stable
- wind cannot reach the ground
- heat from the earth is trapped
Even when the air temperature is far below zero
The ground under snow can stay close to zero degrees.
That is much warmer than the air above.
🐭 Animals That Hide Under the Snow
Many animals use snow as protection.
Examples include:
- mice and voles that dig tunnels
- frogs resting in soil under snow
- insects hiding in leaf layers
- rabbits sleeping in shallow snow holes
This hidden space is called the subnivean zone.
It is a small world under the snow where life continues quietly.
🐻 What About Bigger Animals
Large animals use snow in different ways.
Bears sleep in dens covered by snow.
Foxes dig into snow to block the wind.
Birds fluff their feathers and sometimes dive into snow for warmth.
Snow helps them all survive winter nights.
🧪 Snow Science Activity
Test Snow Insulation
What you need:
- two small containers
- warm water
- snow
What to do:
- Fill both containers with warm water
- Cover one container completely with snow
- Leave the other uncovered
- Wait ten minutes
- Feel the temperature of both containers
The snow covered one will stay warmer longer.
That is insulation in action.
🧠 Fun Snow Facts
- Igloos stay warm for the same reason snow does
- Snow can make winter quieter by absorbing sound
- Animals can hear better under snow tunnels
- Fresh snow is mostly air
📚 Science Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Insulation | Something that slows heat loss |
| Air pockets | Small spaces filled with air |
| Subnivean | The space under snow |
| Temperature | How hot or cold something is |