Adapting to Heat: How Wildlife Survives in Hot Weather

As humans retreat to the air-conditioned comfort of their homes during the blisteringly hot summer months, wildlife must find other ways to cope. After all, they can’t turn on a fan and enjoy a glass of iced tea during the hottest time of the day. This begs the question, what does wildlife do when the heat index is high and the temperature is cranked up? Find out how various animal species deal with uncomfortably warm temperatures by burrowing, sleeping, and bathing.

One strategy wildlife uses to keep cool is digging or burrowing. As wildlife uncover layers of earth and burrow deeper, the cooler temperatures allow them to regulate body heat. It’s not uncommon for species like gophers, moles, voles, and skunks to retreat to their burrows for the entire day and remain underground until evening or night. Snakes will occasionally cover themselves with topsoil in an attempt to hide from the sun. Their reptilian cold-blooded counterparts, like lizards and turtles, are especially susceptible to the sun, and most avoid direct exposure by sheltering under rocks or swimming deeper into the water to escape the warmer surface. Warm-blooded species need to regulate their body temperature as well to prevent heat stroke, so common neighborhood visitors tend to hide out on hot, sticky days in places like tree nooks, foliage, and, occasionally, human structures. You may have also noticed squirrels keeping cool by “splooting” in the shade, a body stretch that aims to reduce body heat. When not burrowing or hiding in the shade, wildlife can try another strategy: sleeping.

Cold-blooded animals enter into “estivation,” which is a state of extended dormancy. Like hibernation, the resting period lowers metabolic rates, and animals can survive without food and water for a lengthy period of time; unlike hibernation, estivation keeps their bodies cool rather than warm. Some mammals may also enter into an estivation period as well. Even if they do not become dormant, they may still attempt to sleep through stifling heat until the cooler temperatures of the evening.

Lastly, similar to humans, wildlife may decide to take a dip in water to cool down. You’ve likely seen birds taking baths in backyard bird baths or basins, which clean their feathers and cool down their skin, but other backyard buddies like turtles and toads would also appreciate access to water. Other mammals, like domesticated pigs, will wallow in water or mud. If you can provide access to water from a small pond or lake to a bird bath or basin, it can go a long way in helping various species protect themselves from the dangers of the summer sun.

Humans have a number of strategies to help them avoid heat and heat-related danger, from staying indoors to taking frequent water breaks in the shade. Reptiles and mammals must employ other techniques to beat the heat, like burrowing, estivation, and bathing. Providing habitat for wildlife can help ensure their survival in a world that is becoming increasingly hotter.