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Meet the coolest moose in town!
Since the Wyoming Game and Fish Department manages wildlife, we thought it might be nice to have one of Wyoming's most iconic animals join our team. After searching high and low, we found our perfect match ? a moose! However, this moose needs a name. Can you help us choose one?
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Wyoming's wildlife coloring book
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Hibernation vs. Sleep
Has anyone ever told you hibernation is when animals sleep through the winter? Hibernation and sleep may seem like they are the same, but they are actually very different. Here are some of the differences between sleep and hibernation:
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Hibernation
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Sleep
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- Hibernation lasts for days or months.
- Animals store up fat in their bodies and use it slowly for energy during the hibernation period.
- Some creatures lower their body temperature to just above freezing.
- Breathing slows down by 50% or more ? some insects and reptiles actually stop breathing altogether.
- The heart beats only a few times each minute.
- It takes a long time for most animals to become alert and aware when hibernating; first they have to warm their body up and increase their breathing and heart rate.
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- Sleep lasts for hours.
- Animals use only a little less energy than when they are awake.
- Body temperature is close to normal and wellabove freezing.
- Breathing and heart rates only slow a small amount.
- Animals can wake up quickly, and are completely aware of their surroundings even while sleeping.
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Wyoming is home to several animals that hibernate. Ground squirrels and yellow-bellied marmots spend almost half of the year hibernating. Both black and grizzly bears even give birth while hibernating! Garter snakes, bumble bees and bats hibernate as well. Do you think you would like to hibernate?
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What do animals do when we're not around?
Wild animals live most of their lives away from humans. So what do they do when we can't see them? Luckily we can use trail cameras to get a peek into the hidden world of wildlife. This trail cam was set up with the hope of seeing wolves, but there were some surprise visitors too. How many species can you count passing by?
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