05 DEC, 2023
Sweta Gupta
Some hares, like the Arctic hare, mountain hare, and snowshoe hare, change their fur color from brown to white in winter. This adaptation, triggered by the decreasing daylight, helps them blend into snowy surroundings.
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Three types of weasels—the least weasel, long-tailed weasel, and short-tailed weasel (stoat), switch from brown fur in summer to white in winter.
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Peary caribou, a type of caribou found in the High Arctic of Canada and Greenland, transition from silvery summer coats to white ones in winter.
Photo: Getty Images
Lemmings in the Dicrostonyx genus change their fur colour from brown or gray in warmer months to white in snowy conditions. These lemmings spend most of their time burrowing under the snow.
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All three types of ptarmigans, birds related to grouse and pheasants, change their brown plumage to white feathers. In spring and fall, they have a mottled look to blend with patchy snow.
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The Siberian hamster, also known as the Dzhungarian hamster or "winter white," transforms from a silvery chinchilla colour to mostly white when exposed to natural light in a room.
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Arctic foxes are usually brownish gray in summer and snowy white in winter. However, coastal populations in Alaska and Canada stay slate gray, lightening only slightly in winter.
Photo: Getty Images