Students will create animals that have adaptations that would enable them to survive in environments that evolve after they have learned about Classification and the Animal Kingdom.
The winter severity index (WSI) is a measurement to help gauge the effects of the winter weather on
deer survival. The index was developed in the early 1970’s and is calculated by adding the number of
days with 18 inches or more of snow on the ground to the number of days when the minimum
temperatures were 0◦
F or below. In general, the severity of the winter is based on the total number of
points accumulated over the collection period. A winter with an index of less than 50 is considered mild,
50 to 79 is moderate, 80 to 99 is severe, and over 100 is very severe.