Cold shoulders, cold turkey, cold feet, cold sweat and cold everything has been the norm this winter.

The temperatures have tumbled, with wind chills making many days a single-digit situation. Bundle up, stay inside, turn up the heat and head to the tropics are ways that we humans can deal with the frigid forecasts.

But what about the species that can’t book a flight to the Caribbean? Chappaquiddicker Vivian Spiro recently sent an email with questions that her daughters had asked her when they were toddlers. They are adults now and she says: “As of yet, I haven’t found satisfactory answers to most of them.”

Vivian asks specifically about Vineyard fish, snails, bivalves, horseshoe crabs, crustacea, reptiles, worms and amphibians (a long list to be sure) but we aim to please, so here we go.

While we know that some fish, such as tuna, will migrate north and south based on the temperatures of the water, other fish must remain where they are and manage seasonal variations. Fish are ectotherms, meaning they cannot regulate their body temperature, and must adapt to their temperature-changing environs. 

When it is cold, fish will slow their metabolism to reduce food and oxygen needs. In freshwater environments, where the warmer water is deeper, fish may gather and huddle at lower depths. Some species can go dormant and nuzzle in to the muddy bottom of a pond until the water warms up. However, winter fish kills are possible if the temperature change is drastic and/or dramatic. Horseshoe crabs employ a similar strategy: they move into deeper water and feed less during the winter months.

Snails have a few techniques for dealing with cold. Some will cover themselves with mucous and settle down for a winter of inactivity. Snails and other gastropods employ that mucus layer to build a protective structure around themselves, called an epiphragm, to eliminate desiccation and keep the cold out of their shell. This is a method of freeze avoidance.

Snails that live in the Arctic have evolved to be freeze tolerant. They produce an antifreeze-like compound that prevents them from turning into snail-sicles.  The chemical antifreeze method is also how some amphibians such as frogs can overwinter without freezing. 

Bivalves, including oysters and clams, treat fall like a feast, eating as much as possible to build up sugar and energy stores, then will also go dormant when air and water temperatures drop. These filter feeders barely pump water when food sources are scarce. Shellfish remain harvestable (and delicious) in the winter if you are willing to go out in the cold to get them, or if you can find an open fish market in January on the Vineyard (shout out to Stanley in Menemsha). 

Reptiles, such as turtles, salamanders and snakes are brumators. Brumation is the term for the dormant state of these animals. During brumation, these animals are inactive, but can wake up, then return to their resting state.

Sea turtles, on the other hand, must move to warmer waters or else end up cold stunned or dead if they don’t make it to southern beaches.

Vivian should take heart and not worry too much about the animals outdoors in the cold. We have adapted, as has wildlife. Creatures great and small can appreciate the cold, hard fact that spring will always come.

Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.