From elephants to Penguins to dogs, find out the various ways animals keep cool at the National Wildlife Federation!
1. Sweating
People do it, and so do horses. Sweating helps animals cool because drying sweat cools the skin. Some canines—members of the dog family—sweat from their feet, but that is not a large enough surface area to cool the whole animal. What do dogs do? See panting, below.
2. Radiating heat
Elephants can radiate heat from their ears, which they hold out from their bodies; jackrabbits do the same thing with their long ears. Blood flow into the ears carries heat out of the body, and cooler blood re-enters the bloodstream, reducing the effects of heat.
3. Estivation
This is the opposite of hibernation. Some animals, such as toads and snails of various species, will go into a state of dormancy (call it sleep, but it is much deeper than sleep) during hot weather, to avoid heat and drying; they may burrow underground, just like a hibernating ground squirrel (hibernation is a winter dormancy to escape cold and hunger). Probably the most famous estivators are the lungfish of Africa, Australia and South America, which burrow into the mud of drying lakes and create a cocoon of mucus for shelter; they revive when rains refill their lakes.
4. Hiding out
Many animals seek shelter during the hot part of the day. Reptiles such as lizards and snakes are especially susceptible to heat and can die after only a few hours’ exposure to hot summer sun; these animals seek shelter under rocks and in burrows. The survival of some lizards is threatened because of heat: A recent study shows that rising temperatures from global warming have driven 12 percent of Mexico’s lizard populations to extinction and have caused lizard population losses on five continents because the animals have to spend so much time hiding from the sun that they are not feeding and breeding adequately. Turtles, which also are reptiles, will go into deeper water during heat waves. Freshwater fish such as bass also seek cooler, deeper waters during summer heat. Cats sweat through their feet, but not enough to help them cope with summer temperatures. Felines, from the house variety to the mighty lion, seek shade when they want to cool down.
5. Panting
As we all know, our breath is hot—hot enough to make clouds in winter air. Many animals get rid of excess body heat by breathing rapidly—by panting. Almost everyone has seen dogs do this. Have you ever seen birds walking around in summer with their beaks open? They’re panting. Birds have an elaborate breathing system that includes air sacs in addition to lungs and that helps them get rid of excess heat by panting.
6. Shedding
Losing body hair is a major way that mammals—most of which are covered with fur—cope with heat. In winter, animals in temperate zones put on heavy coats for combating frosty cold and biting winds, but in summer they need lighter wear. Hormones in the body cause their dense winter coats to fall off, usually in patches, to be replaced with a lighter summer coat.
7. Taking a dip
Many animals seek water to cool down. Elephants often cool off in a pond or stream. Tigers (unlike most house cats) enjoy a dip in hot weather. Domestic pigs, which don’t sweat, wallow in water or mud on hot days; mud also protects them from sunburn. If you provide water for backyard wildlife, you will find that birds, too, like to splash around, both to cool off and to clean feathers and skin. Other backyard animals, such as toads and turtles, will also benefit from access to water, especially as temperatures climb.
