Ice is nice … and not so nice - for people … and for animals

Ranger Rick, Jan, 1997 by Ellen Lambeth

How about that cool seal on pages 2 and 3? It's "chilling out" in Antarctica after a hard day's hunt for underwater prey. How? By climbing aboard a float- ing piece of ice called a floe (FLOW). In the watery world near the poles, an ice floe may be the only "solid ground" around to rest on.

Leopard seals aren't the only creatures that ride these chilly chunks. In the Antarctic, you might also find seabirds and penguins "going with the floe" in icy waters. And in the Arctic, there are other kinds of seals and seabirds, plus walruses or maybe a polar bear like the one above.

But for polar bears, the nicest ice is a sea that's frozen over. That gives the bears lots of room to roam in search of their favorite food: seals.

See how well a white bear blends in with the ice? That helps it "hide" while it sneaks up on unsuspecting prey. Or it may wait patiently by a hole in the ice. When a seal pops up for air, the bear can snatch it in a flash.

Even where the sea isn't frozen, seals had better watch out. Sometimes a polar bear swims silently up to a floe that's carrying a snoozing seal. Like a big white bullet, the bear can swoosh out of the water right onto a seal meal.

Don't forget to check out the bear's furry feet. All that hair protects them from the cold ice underfoot. It also helps them get a grip--and not slip.

People use ice too. In the wintertime, they use it mostly for fun. If you live in a place with nippy winters, you may zip across the ice on skates like the kids below competing in a race. Or you may zoom across the ice in a kind of skating boat, or poke through the ice to go fishing. Some brave people even use special equipment to climb up frozen waterfalls!

Before the days of refrigerators, people put big blocks of ice in their "ice boxes" to help keep food from spoiling. Nowadays, people may use blocks of ice just for fun. The people at right used some to build a cool castle during a winter carnival in Minnesota. Bet you wouldn't want to be inside during the spring thaw!

Did you spy the below-freezing temperature above? Brrr! Now add rain, and you've got a real problem. Before you know it, there's a glaze of ice covering everything.

If you're snug inside and looking through a window, an ice storm can turn everything outside into a sparkly crystal wonderland. But if the rain keeps freezing, layer after layer, the coating of ice gets very heavy. And that can really make a wreck of things. Just look at all the broken tree limbs in the photo at right. Ice can also damage people's houses and bring down power lines.

What are the chances that the engine in the ice-coated van will start? You'd have to crack your way in before you could find out for sure!

The van was parked in Chicago near Lake Michigan during a blustery winter storm. Too bad it was way below freezing outside. Strong winds sprayed water from the lake everywhere. When it hit the cold van, it froze into a thick coat of ice. Presto--an ice cube on wheels!

Even if the van could get started, a slippery glaze on the ground spells danger for the driver . Ice is the cause of many winter traffic accidents. And sidewalk accidents too. It can make your feet slide right out from under you . Whoaaa, WHOOOOPS, whomp! If you don't have polar bear feet, you'd better beware!

This little titmouse could be in big trouble. Titmice and other birds like to eat winter fruits. They also peck into twigs and under bark to dig out tasty wintering insects. But an ice storm has wrapped the branch and berries on this bird's perch in a hard crystal package. Hope the sun shines soon and opens up the snack bar again.

How would you like ice chunks dangling from your face? The sad-looking river otter got its icicle face from diving underwater and then popping out into below-freezing air. The otter may be warm on the inside, but it's got a bad case of "ice-face" on the outside.

The otter has thick fur and doesn't mind diving in ice-cold water after a favorite food: fish. But what if the water freezes and the otter can't break through? Then it has to wander about until it finds open water. In the meantime, it may eat whatever it can nab on dry land.

What's that mallard at squawking about? Same story: Can't eat because the lake it's standing on is frozen over. Like the river otter, ducks and other water- fowl need open water to find their food. That's why so many of them migrate to warmer winter weather. But some--like this guy--may just fly off in search of unfrozen water somewhere nearby.

So ice may be bad news for animals that don't live on ice year round. But the good news is, most wildlife can deal with it. Some animals avoid it by snug- gling down somewhere and staying put through the winter. Others avoid it by going somewhere warmer. The rest just cope in different ways of their own. For example, if ice crystals form on their faces, they can find a way to get rid of them. Or if a feeding spot is frozen over, they can often find another. And if worse comes to worst, they can just try waiting until the temperature goes up. You know what happens to ice then.