SINGAPORE – While air-conditioning helps people stay cool, animals in the wild have found other ways to cope with high temperatures.
Earlier this month, images of squirrels splooting in New York to deal with the summer heat circulated on social media.
The Straits Times explains what splooting is and highlights various ways that animals in Singapore keep their cool as the mercury rises.
Ever seen a squirrel splayed on the tree? Do not be alarmed, as the critter is just splooting, or heat dumping, to keep cool.
The unusual position drew attention two weeks ago when the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation told residents not to panic when they see squirrels sprawled on the ground in the summer heat.
Some mammals adopt such postures to lose heat more efficiently by increasing the surface area of their bodies on a cool surface, said mammal scientist at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum Marcus Chua.
Squirrels native to Singapore – such as the plantain squirrel – also sploot to stay cool.
Mr Chua added: “I’ve seen them do that on tree branches. They essentially adopt a yoga-like pose on a horizontal branch when it is hot. I’ve seen uncles do that on the ground at parks after exercising too, albeit on their backs.”
Some mammals rely on salivation and panting to cool down, as, unlike humans, they cannot sweat enough to lose heat.
This increases airflow into the respiratory tract and helps to cool their bodies, but it is an energy-intensive process that comes at the cost of water loss, said Mr Chua.
Many terrestrial animals such as the wild boar and the hippopotamus roll in the mud to lower their body temperature, said Dr Teo Boon Han, managing partner and veterinary consultant at VetTrust Singapore.
These animals tend to have fewer sweat glands, so mud helps them to cool down. Heat is removed when water in the mud evaporates.
Mud sticks on the body and acts as sunscreen so the skin is not fully exposed to the sun, Dr Teo added.
To prevent their legs from overheating, storks frequently urinate on their legs, a behaviour known as urohidrosis.
This helps the birds, which are often found in open environments exposed to the sun, remove heat through evaporative cooling, said Dr Yong Ding Li, regional coordinator at conservation group BirdLife International.
Singapore has recorded four species of storks, including milky storks and painted storks.
Rising sea temperatures brought about by climate change are causing coral reefs in Singapore and abroad to lose their colour.
Increases in water temperature cause coral polyps to experience stress, which results in them expelling symbiotic algae that live within their tissues, said Mr Ryan Lee, group director of the National Biodiversity Centre at the National Parks Board.
After the algae is ejected, the corals reveal their calcium carbonate skeletons, appearing white or bleached, he said.
In Singapore, the warming of the sea is compounded by El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that brings hotter and drier conditions to South-east Asia, he added.
So far, there have been three coral mass-bleaching events recorded here, with the most recent occurring in 2016.
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MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.