The scorching heat over the past few weeks has been unbearable for many people and animals – including squirrels.
So much so, in fact, that the bushy-tailed critters have become something of a viral sensation, with social-media users sharing their pictures of the animals “splooting” – or lying sprawled out with their arms and legs stretched out.
More than 40,000 posts on Instagram have been tagged with “ splooting”, with cats and dogs also joining in as they bid to cool down.
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But if you witness an animal splooting, the message is not to worry – it’s actually a handy way for some mammals to stay cool.
Many mammals have less fur on their bellies compared with the rest of their bodies, so on hot days the animals will lie flat on their stomachs against cooler surfaces to shed some heat and keep cool, reports The Guardian.
Dan Blumstein, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said it was a popular tactic for mammals which “on hot days will lie on rocks as it gets hot, because the boulders are still cooler”.
It’s a message that’s been shared on Twitter by the New York City Parks Department.
In a tweet that went viral, the department wrote: “If you see a squirrel lying down like this, don't worry; it's just fine. On hot days, squirrels keep cool by splooting (stretching out) on cool surfaces to reduce body heat. It is sometimes referred to as heat dumping.”
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Other animals that sploot include chipmunks, rabbits, foxes and raccoons
But Dan told The Guardian he hadn’t heard the term “splooting” until recently.
“I always called it ‘doing the rug’,” he said.
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