A Light from a Crack in a Box

A Light from a Crack in the Box

Normal Seasonal Behavior

The changing seasons of the year affect all aspects of the environment and, as a result, change the behavior of all forms of life within it. However, this effect is most obvious in animals and their response to the onset of winter. This response, which can be considered normal seasonal behavior, takes one of three general forms.

Some animals migrate during the fall so that in the winter they will be where it is warmer or food is more plentiful. Birds always fly south for these cold months and then make the return trip as soon as spring arrives. Whales and some fish go in search of warmer waters that will better suit them. Some primitive tribes of humans migrate also because they have to follow the movement of their source of food, which are the migrating animals. There are even some types of insect, such as termites and earthworms, which migrate by moving further underneath the soil.

The second response that animals have is hibernation and it is seen in a number of different animals including bears, marmots, chipmunks, and hedgehogs. In the fall these animals prepare for the winter by eating extra food and storing it as body fat. When they begin to hibernate their heartbeat and breathing slows and their body temperature drops, which are all methods of reducing the amount of energy they expend.

Animals that do not hibernate or migrate have no other option than to adapt to this seasonal change in their environment. One form of adaptation is growing thicker fur in the winter, which dogs and weasels do, to accommodate them with the means to endure the cold. All human beings adapt to the cold either by turning up the heat, putting on a coat, or starting a warm fire. Some animals prepare by gathering enough food in the fall to last them through the winter and storing it in a place where it can be easily accessed. A more interesting form of adaptation is exhibited in animals such as the red fox, which actually changes its diet from fruits and insects in the spring, summer, and fall to small rodents in the winter.

Abnormal Seasonal Behavior

Because civilized humans have evolved so much further than other species, adapting to survive the winter is no longer a realistic concern. However, there are other types of human behavior resulting from seasonal change that can be considered abnormal. Many different behaviors have been associated with different aspects of the environment. For instance, there seems to be a very reliable increase in violent crimes in the summer that then returns to normal in the fall. This spike in crime is considered to be a direct result of the human tendency to be more irritable when it is hot. Of these fluctuations in human behavior, only one of them has been recognized in the DSM IV as a clinical disorder. It is called