Angela Elaine Wheeler, age 14, of Winston Salem, North Carolina, for her question:

Where do fish go in winter?

Most cold blooded creatures are unable to remain active when temperatures drop to the chilly level. But this general rule does not seem to apply to all the cold blooded fishes. Unlike most animals, some can survive being frozen in solid ice. When the ice melts, they thaw out and carry on their business as usual. This sometimes happens to freshwater fish, which may get frozen solid with the ice in a pond. Other freshwater fish may slow down somewhat during the cold season. Those that spend the summer near the surface often sink to lower levels, where things are warmer. Some of the bottom dwellers bury themselves in the mud for the duration.

In winter, the seas freeze only in polar regions and elsewhere the ocean tends to be warmer than the land. Hence, saltwater fishes are less bothered by the winter. In polar regions, many thrive happily under the surface ice. And many fishy species much prefer chilly polar waters to the warm tropical seas.