GAC002 Assessment Event 4: Academic Essay - Mock Draft
Winter life of ground squirrels and
monarch butterflies
Student’s Name:
Dohee Park
Student ID #:
Teacher:
Conniah Kim
Due Date:
25 June 2012
Word Count:
459
GAC002 AE#4
Dohee Park
Question: Compare and contrast the winter life of ground squirrels and monarch butterflies
When falls start and winter comes, animals in the wild prepare for the blistering environment for their
survival as there are not much food and too cold to live. Ground squirrels and monarch butterflies prepare
winter in their own way of surviving. Monarch butterflies are well known for their massive journey from
Northern America to warmer parts. Ground squirrels are a type of squirrels that usually lives on land not
trees. The major similarity between the winter life of ground squirrels and monarch butterflies is that they
stay in colonies and hibernate for few months and how they manage to feed themselves and the
differences are where they stay to avoid the cold.
Monarch butterfly and Ground squirrel show similar techniques to survive. First is that both animals stay
in colonies in order to live. After the butterflies reach their destiny, they stay in colonies in a one big tree.
Ground squirrels do not stay as much as population as monarch butterfly. This squirrel stay in family
groups in the nest they dug under the land. Both animals stay in colonies to preserve their body
temperature. Another similarity is that both hibernate for few months. Woodchuck, a kind of species in
ground squirrels, hibernates from October to March or April. In addition, monarch butterflies hibernate
for 5 months.
The biggest difference is that where they stay during the hibernation. Monarch butterflies that live in the
region of southeast Canada and the United States migrate to central Mexico, in which is a warm place to
avoid the winter. After monarch butterflies reach destination, huge colonies of monarch butterflies
hibernate on big trees such as oak. On the other hand, ground squirrels dig a nest under the land to avoid
the cold. As most of ground squirrels hibernate, their body temperature shows similar temperature with
the soil. For example, an artic ground squirrel’s temperature goes down below zero Celsius, as the soil
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near by is much lesser than that. Surprisingly, artic ground squirrel doesn’t freeze to death and endures
that temperature.
Another similarity is how they manage to feed themselves. Before hibernation, both animals eat a lot of
food. However, these animals do not wake up during the hibernation. Because monarch butterflies have to
travel a long journey, this insect eats nectars and water as much as they could as they travel. Monarch
butterfly stores fat in their abdomen. As monarch butterfly is a cold-blooded animal, it does not need to
use much energy in hibernating. Grounds squirrels also eat as much as they could before the hibernation.
For example, woodchuck has a well-developed subcutaneous fat that could easily change the
food into fat. It is because their habitat is too damp to store any foods. After summer, woodchucks
fattens up themselves to prepare the hibernation.
For conclusion, the animal Monarch butterfly and Ground squirrel are very different type of animal.
However, when winter comes they show similar methods to survive such as being in colonies and
hibernating. Both animals give big curiosity to scientists in the way they survive the hibernation.
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References
WWF. "Monarch Butterflies." The Monarch of Migration. 2012. Web. 17 June 2012.
Paul, C & Kristi, S. "Wild Life Damage Management Fact Sheet Series." Woodchucks. 2012.
Web. 17 June 2012.
Heinrich, B. “Hibernating squirrels.” Winter world : the ingenuity of animal survival. Vol. 1.
Tantor Media Inc, 2003.
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