Cross Breeds

Why is burrowing in the snow keep dogs warm during the night, as opposed to sleeping in the open?

This is a homework question and the actual question is " research the scientific principles of heat retention to find out why burring in the snow would keep the dogs warm during the night, as opposed to sleeping in the open?"

Public Comments

1. snow is an insulator
2. I cant remember but my teacher told me that when a dog burrows in the snow his or her body heat stays inside, kind of like a winter coat. Once inside your body heat will stay inside and circulate around and around.
3. Snow makes a good insulator because of the intricate shapes of the flakes. These shapes trap air in between the flakes as they pile up. These tiny pockets of air prevent air from circulating, thus preventing heat from being transferred by convection. If the dog slept out in the open it would lose a lot of body heat to convection and conduction. The snow keeps the heat in (like an igloo) and prevents the wind and the cold air from lowering the body temperature of the dog.
4. despite the cold, the snow insulates the dogs. their fur helps them stay warm too.
5. because the snow is a protector from the wind its like a shield
6. Snow, at least deep snow, tends to remain at the freezing point. The night air can be quite a bit colder, especially if you add in the chill factor.