It was 1962 and I was at Curt and Gary’s house, my neighbors, and playing Parcheesi or Monopoly on a Saturday evening.

At the same time, “Chiller Theatre” was airing in its usual Saturday slot. Well, about 9 o’clock, in the pitch dark, I had to head home (a whopping 50 yards away). But this 9-year-old was scared. I remember getting goose bumps as I headed out the door, and it wasn’t from the cold.

What does this have to do with nature?

If you have/or had either a pet cat or dog, there was probably a time when they were scared or agitated, and you may have noticed their fur standing up. They, too, get goose bumps.

Goose bumps are caused when tiny muscles at the base of each hair, known as arrector pili muscles, contract. This results in the hair becoming erect. This is not a result of a conscious thought but by the sympathetic nervous system reacting to a stimulus like cold or fright.

When our really early ancestors were much hairier, their bodies reacted to cold by fluffing their fur to help trap air closer to the skin to help they stay warm. Keep in mind this is really a vestigial reflex. (Referring to the previous sentence, vestigial is something no longer needed, such as our appendix). At the same time, if they were threatened or frightened, this same situation would occur, raising their hackles, so to speak,

This is something that occurs in many wild animals, as well. On bitter cold mornings your local cardinals appear very plump. Well, they didn’t gain weight overnight; they too have the same tiny muscles controlling nearly every body feather. The feathers, all fluffed up, help trap air close to their bodies and indeed offer a bit more insulation.

I noticed this about a month ago after our bluebirds returned to claim the nest boxes on our property. The one male perches atop the neighbor’s maple tree, where he begins his first songs of the year to announce his territory. On a few of the mornings, with the temperature about 20 degrees he is a pumped-up version of the sleeker look he has all summer. His goose bumps are helping him stay warm on those cold mornings.

A wild turkey, ruffed grouse or a dusky grouse in Wyoming can, in breeding season, fluff their feathers to increase the appearance of their size to impress hens. This too is done with the same muscles under the skin as we have.

A porcupine has fur, as do other mammals, but they also have specially adapted quills. Not only are those quills barbed at the distal ends to embed in a possible animal threat, but the same muscles make those specialized hairs (quills) stand erect, giving them an appearance even much larger than they are, and also to better cover any tender spots on their body, like the belly, nose and legs.

Whether it’s you being chilled or frightened, your dog defending his space with the neighbor’s dog, a “gobbler” strutting in spring, or your local cold bluebird, they all experience goose bumps.

Get out there on one of the remaining cold mornings and observe some local birds trying to stay warm or try venturing out without a coat and watch your goose bumps appear.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com