The animal kingdom relies on staggering evolutionary innovations to survive winter. Unlike their human counterparts, who alter the environment to accommodate physical limitations, most animals are adapted to an amazing range of conditions. In Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival, biologist, illustrator, and award-winning author Bernd Heinrich explores his local woods, where he delights in the seemingly infinite feats of animal inventiveness he discovers there.
Because winter drastically affects the most elemental component of all life—water—radical changes in a creature's physiology and behavior must take place to match the demands of the environment. Some creatures survive by developing antifreeze; others must remain in constant motion to maintain their high body temperatures. Even if animals can avoid freezing to death, they must still manage to find food in a time of scarcity or store if from a time of plenty.
Infused by the author's inexhaustible enchantment with nature, Winter World awakens the wonders and mysteries by which nature sustains herself through winter's harsh, cruel exigencies.
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"This book is great at foraging around the topic of surviving cold winters outdoors. Thought it could have been tightened up a bit and perhaps it was a tad too long. All the same, jam-packed with super-interesting and ingenious adaptations of animals and insects to get by in extremes environments. "
— Richard (4 out of 5 stars)
The stories are plain engrossing---in their elucidation, their breadth of examples, and their barely contained sense of awe and admiration.
— Kirkus" This was a fascinating and wonderful book! It's rare to find science and nature writing that is such a pleasure to read. If Bernd Heinrich had been my teacher, I might have done better in my science courses. The author's illustrations add a touch of whimsy to his already engaging book. "
— Tina, 2/13/2014" At first I thought I was in over my head with some physics, but then it settled in to interesting science.I think I'd like to own this book as a reference for birds and plants. What a trip it would be to witness some of the goofy, quirky things this guy does to gather data! "
— Denise, 2/12/2014" A nice combination of scientific knowledge as well as the personal discovery of how wildlife around him survived. It makes the scientific discovery process more a live and seeming do able. "
— Dkujawinski, 2/11/2014" This is a well researched book. Howevcr, it treats the mundane and the fantastic with equal priority. It is worth reading, but can be difficult to hold your attention at times. "
— Jeremy, 1/31/2014" Great natural history writing and insight into the winter world. "
— Matthew, 1/27/2014" wow. this is beautifully written, more readable than most novels, and is a geyser of evolutionary and ecological theory grounded in elegant and simple experimentation. if you want to learn about evolution, whether you have a strong science background or not, this is a great book to do so with. "
— Ben, 1/24/2014" Those poor little kinglets, but otherwise a wonderful book about life surrounded by snow and under the snow. He's a wonderful naturalist and observer. "
— Kate, 1/19/2014" A nice blend of science and story telling... easy to read, even when he gets into some statistics! "
— Lauren, 1/7/2014" Amazing book about metabolic modifications animals do to overwinter, from freezing, through low-temp thermoregulation, to tactics used by birds involving tradeoffs between sleep and eating time. "
— Smellsofbikes, 1/6/2014" Great book! Not only informative but truly entertaining. "
— Pam, 12/23/2013" An up-close and personal look at the winter habits of New England animals. The key to survival is unique to all species and fascinating. I applaud Bernd Heinrich for braving the cold to investigate the wildlife! "
— Melissa, 12/3/2013" Fascinating stories of how animals survive the harsh winter world, focusing on the Golden Crowned Kinglet. All the typical charm and personalized science of Heinrich "
— Robert, 12/1/2013" Beautifully written, made me appreciate living in New England more. "
— Lisa, 9/13/2013" Too science-y. Some really cool facts here, but I just wanted to be wowed by facts. I wasn't interested in the in depth science behind them. If science is your thing, you'll probably like it a lot more. No problems with the writing style, pretty lively despite the dry material. "
— Kris, 3/14/2013" Fascinating search for a bird I never heard of! "
— Holly, 11/29/2012" I hate how there isn't a "gave up" option. I did not read this. I got into the first chapter and decided it's just too sciencey for me. "
— Heather, 5/20/2012" Despite the fact that it looks like it took my over a year to read this book (really there was just a 12-or so month gap between the first couple of chapters and the last several) I really liked it. Heinrich's writing is so easy to read and I think it would be very cool to take a class from him. "
— Stephanie, 2/21/2012" A truly wonderful nature book, very informative a very well laid out. My favorite Heinrich yet. "
— Dan, 9/23/2011" Very interesting! The information was presented in a thought provoking and easy to understand fashion. I didn't know that some frogs freeze solid underwater in the mud over the winter! "
— Molly, 7/28/2011" Really interesting information, but the writing is bit dry. "
— Bridget, 6/26/2011" I just listened to this. I would have learned more by reading it but this was enough for my mild interest in natural history. "
— Conchetta, 3/8/2011" I ordered this so long ago and now its finally come. I am so looking forward to reading it. "
— Petra, 2/28/2011" This is a really great read about how animals adapt to winter. Heinrich looks at the various adaptations of animals overwintering in Northern woods, from insects to beaver. <br/><br/>I found this very fascinating; its approachable by anyone while still being full of information. "
— Andrew, 2/28/2011" fun book to have around about all the crazy things animals do to survive the winter. "
— Jon, 1/18/2011" <br/> Extra interesting: More so right now in January when I am freezing "
— Gayle, 1/15/2011" Lots of interesting stuff but can't say I'm terribly fond of the writer's egoism. "
— Danna, 1/7/2011" I hate how there isn't a "gave up" option. I did not read this. I got into the first chapter and decided it's just too sciencey for me. "
— Heather, 11/22/2010" A nice blend of science and story telling... easy to read, even when he gets into some statistics! "
— Lauren, 8/29/2010" Most everything you wanted to know about winter ecology, but were afraid to ask... "
— Chris, 7/13/2010" At first I thought I was in over my head with some physics, but then it settled in to interesting science.I think I'd like to own this book as a reference for birds and plants. What a trip it would be to witness some of the goofy, quirky things this guy does to gather data! "
— Denise, 5/15/2010" Great fodder for thought and discussion on a winter hike or curled up in front of a snowy window. This book and some good cold weather gear could change the way someone feels about winter for the better. "
— melody, 1/7/2010Bernd Heinrich is an acclaimed scientist and the author of numerous award-winning books, including the bestselling The Mind of the Raven, Why We Run, and Winter World. Among his many honors is the 2013 PEN New England Award in nonfiction for Life Everlasting. Mind of the Raven won the John Burroughs Medal for Natural History Writing and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He is a frequent contributor to national media and professor emeritus of biology at the University of Vermont.