Animals, like humans, are greatly affected by the rising temperatures. Species that have evolved tactics to combat the heat are relying on those behaviors to try to keep cool.
From peculiar methods like “splooting,” to changing physiology altogether, here are four ways different creatures are trying to beat the heat.You might never have heard of it but if you’re a cat or dog owner, you’ve almost definitely seen a “sploot.”
The term shot to prominence in August 2022 after pictures of squirrels splayed out on their bellies in New York City“The squirrel is putting as much of their body surface as possible in contact with a cooler surface, frequently on concrete or pavement that’s been in the shade,” biologist Charlotte Devitz told CNN.
“It’s quite possible there’s a higher incidence of this type of behavior in squirrels that are in urban areas, just because they’re more in need of ways to cool down,” she said. “It means animals are evolving, but it does not necessarily mean that they are coping with climate change,” Sara Ryding, a researcher at Deakin University in Australia and one of the authors of the review,“We also don’t know whether these shape-shifts actually aid in survival or not. This phenomenon of shape-shifting shouldn’t be seen as a positive, but rather it is alarming that climate change is pushing animals to evolve like this, under such a relatively short timeframe.
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