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The large ears of a jackrabbit (hare) contain a network of blood vessels that allows them to regulate body temperature as needed.
Estivation is when animals 'sleep' through scorching temperatures. This is the opposite of hibernation. Estivation helps animals survive by slowing their metabolism, which means they don't need to eat as much during hot months.
Some animals, like certain snails, estivate to prevent drying out by retreating back into their protective shells.
Elephants also use their ears for temperature regulation. They flap their ears like fans, helping cool the blood flowing through the vessels in their ears.
If the outside temperature is above their internal temperature, the blood vessels dilate, increasing their surface-area-to-volume ratio. This encourages heat loss.
Many animals seek shelter during the hot parts of the day. Reptiles control their body heat via the environment, so if an area is too hot or sunny, they'll simply move to a shadier area to cool off.
Turtles will go into cooler, deeper waters during heat waves. Freshwater fish, such as bass, also seek deeper waters.
Felines, from your regular house cat to the mighty lion, seek shade when they want to cool down.
Animals that don't sweat must find other means of cooling off. For pigs, hippos, boars, and buffalos, rolling in mud (i.e. wallowing) is the ideal summer refreshment method.
As we all know, our breath is hot. So when animals want to cool down, it's no surprise that they try to get their hot breath away from them as quickly as possible.
Similar to sweating, wallowing helps animals cool down via evaporation.
Rapidly expelling hot air and drawing in cooler air is known as panting. When the cool air comes in contact with the moist lining of the lungs and throat, it helps the animal reduce its body temperature.
As water from the mud evaporates from an animal's skin, it carries heat away and brings down body temperature.
Almost everyone has seen dogs do this. But you might be surprised to know that birds have been known to pant as well!
Several species of stork, as well as vultures, will defecate on their legs to cool down.
Since bird poop is mostly liquid, it works the same way that sweating does, through evaporative cooling.
As the poop dries on the birds' legs, heat is carried away, bringing down their body temperature.
In winter, animals in temperate zones put on heavy coats for combating the cold, 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.
Sweat is produced in sweat glands, which are activated by the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that controls certain key biological processes, including heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
Nearly all mammals with shed fur in some way to cope with heat. It's their bodies' way of prepping for a change in seasons.
Humans aren't the only animals with sweat glands. Other animals, such as cows, horses, monkeys, and apes, sweat too.
Spot a shallow bird bath, and you'll find that birds also like to splash around, both to cool off and to clean their feathers and skin.
Sources: (Smithsonian Magazine) (National Wildlife Federation)
Unlike most cats, tigers enjoy taking baths to keep them cool during the hottest parts of the day. They'll soak for up to an hour, but neck deep only.
Sweat is made mostly of water, with some potassium, salt, and other minerals as well. As it evaporates from the skin, it carries heat away and reduces overall body temperature.
And then there's the classic dip! Many animals seek water to cool down. For example, elephants often cool off in a pond or a stream.
As warm-blooded creatures that lack sweat glands, some birds have turned to gular fluttering, i.e. vibrating muscles and bones in the throat.
The more a bird vibrates them, the more the moist throat membranes are exposed to air, allowing for better evaporation. Pelicans, herons, doves, owls, quail, and nighthawks are some of the birds that use gular fluttering.
Gular fluttering helps regulate temperature by increasing evaporation through the membranes in the throat.
Other animals, like the lungfish, estivate underground, burrowing into the mud near water, where it sleeps until the next wet season.
As we enter some of the hottest months of the year, people try all sorts of things to escape the heat. Humans have many ways to keep cool, both natural and man-made. But what about the animals that don’t live in houses with air conditioning? How do they keep cool? Luckily, animals have adapted all sorts of behaviors and mechanisms to help them deal with scorching temperatures.
Curious to find out how animals keep cool in the heat? Then click through the following gallery.
How animals keep cool in the heat
From panting to pooping, you'd be surprised by some of these cooling methods!
LIFESTYLE Extreme heat
As we enter some of the hottest months of the year, people try all sorts of things to escape the heat. Humans have many ways to keep cool, both natural and man-made. But what about the animals that don’t live in houses with air conditioning? How do they keep cool? Luckily, animals have adapted all sorts of behaviors and mechanisms to help them deal with scorching temperatures.
Curious to find out how animals keep cool in the heat? Then click through the following gallery.