Survival artists in the snow - how wild animals survive the winter

From the well-camouflaged ptarmigan to the resting red deer, from the wandering chamois to the waiting buzzard and the sleeping marmot: impressive photos of five wild animals that survive the winter in Tyrol using different strategies.

Camouflage artist: the rock ptarmigan

Fabio Hain took this photo of an alpine ptarmigan on the Hafelekar on Innsbruck's Nordkette mountain range. Incidentally, the ptarmigan is a remnant of the last ice age and usually lives on scree and alpine meadows above the tree line. It grows up to 40 centimetres in size, weighs half a kilo and has a wingspan of over half a metre. The rock ptarmigan moults four times a year and adapts its plumage perfectly to its surroundings. In summer it wears a brown coat, in winter a snow-white one. To survive the winter, the rock ptarmigan prefers to eat terminal shoots and buds of crowberry and chamois heather. In summer, the food supply is greater: willows, birches, bilberries and cranberries.

Saves energy without moving: the red deer

In winter, red deer mainly find food at game feeding stations run by hunters. It feeds during the night, after which it remains motionless in one place to conserve energy. In winter, its rumen only holds half as much food as in autumn, and it reduces its heart rate to 30 to 40 heartbeats per minute if necessary. For us winter sports enthusiasts, this means that we should try not to disturb them during their resting phase.

Road hunter: The buzzard

One man's joy, another man's sorrow: Mice and other small animals run over by cars are a relatively convenient source of food for the common buzzard in winter. Under a 50-centimetre-thick blanket of snow, it would find the mice more difficult to track down. From mid-February, the common buzzard performs mating rituals and fights with conspecifics for its territory, as do many other species of birds of prey.

Early riser: the chamois

During the winter, scarce food and icy temperatures make survival in high alpine regions difficult - even for climbers such as chamois. This is why we can also find them below the tree line in winter. The chamois search for food there, especially in the early morning, morning and evening: buds and shoots of shrubs, foliage and conifers, as well as moss and lichen. Chamois also keep their horns in winter - in contrast to roe deer and stags, which shed their antlers during this time of year. However, there is one similarity to the red deer: the chamois also tries to save energy in winter. We should therefore not startle them unnecessarily, especially in the cold season.

Sleepyhead: The marmot

A good night's sleep: many of us dream of this. But half a year? That's how long the marmot hibernates in its burrow, which it pads out with grass beforehand. Depending on its needs, it can even sleep for up to nine months. For such a comatose sleep, the marmot naturally has to build up a corresponding fat reserve. That's why in summer it is mainly occupied with one thing: eating as much as possible. In winter, it hides in the marmot burrow and reduces its energy consumption to a tenth of its normal needs: Two breaths and 20 heartbeats per minute. Normally, marmot hearts beat 200 times a minute.