A fennec fox cub
Tierfotoagentur/Alamy Stock Photo
Beating the Heat
As You Read: Identify four ways that animals have adapted to survive the heat.
How do you cool off on a hot summer day? Maybe you take a dip in a pool or grab a cold lemonade.
Animals have their own ways of dealing with extreme heat. Some even have physical adaptations that help them survive.
How do you cool off on a hot day? Maybe you take a dip in a pool. Maybe you grab a cold lemonade.
Animals have their own ways of dealing with heat. Some have physical adaptations. These help them survive.
Super Sippers
Studio Carlo Dani/Earth Scenes/Animals Animals
Thorny dragons are also known as thorny devils.
Let’s start with thorny dragons. These small lizards live in Australian deserts. Like all living things, they need water to survive. But very little rain falls in the desert. So how do thorny dragons get enough water?
“They collect it with their skin,” says scientist Philipp Comanns.
Comanns and a team of scientists learned how this works. A thorny dragon’s skin has tiny grooves that lead to its mouth. When the lizard stands in sand, moisture from the sand is sucked into the grooves until they fill up. Then the lizard opens its mouth and takes a sip. Ahhhh!
Let’s start with thorny dragons. These lizards live in Australian deserts. Like all living things, they need water to survive. But little rain falls in the desert. So how do thorny dragons get enough water?
“They collect it with their skin,” says scientist Philipp Comanns.
Scientists learned how this works. A thorny dragon’s skin has tiny grooves that lead to its mouth. When the lizard stands in sand, moisture from the sand is sucked into the grooves. The grooves fill up. Then the lizard opens its mouth and takes a sip. Ahhhh!
Time to Shine
Silver ants in Africa’s Sahara desert have a survival secret too. These insects have silver hairs that act like mirrors and reflect the sun’s rays. This keeps the ants from overheating, even when temperatures rise above 120 degrees Fahrenheit!
Silver ants in Africa’s Sahara desert have a survival secret too. These insects have silver hairs. The hairs act like mirrors and reflect the sun’s rays. This keeps the ants from overheating. That’s important when temperatures rise above 120 degrees Fahrenheit!
Amazing Ears
Tierfotoagentur/Alamy Stock Photo
Fennec foxes also make their homes in the sizzling Sahara. These foxes are about the size of cats but have ears that are 6 inches long. When a fox gets too hot, it sends body heat out through its ears.
The foxes also have thick fur on their paws. These “boots” help protect their feet from hot sand.
Fennec foxes also make their homes in the Sahara. These foxes are about the size of cats. But they have ears that are 6 inches long. When a fox gets too hot, it sends body heat out through its ears.
The foxes also have thick fur on their paws. These “boots” protect their feet from hot sand.
Nature's Sunscreen
Steven Hogg/Shutterstock.com
Hippos roll around in mud to cool off.
Hippos live in parts of Africa too. They spend a lot of time standing in rivers and lakes. The sun’s rays can burn their backs.
To protect their skin, the huge animals release a sticky red substance through their pores. This natural sunscreen helps to keep the hippos’ skin from burning.
As you can see, physical adaptations can be very important. Without special skin, hair, or ears, many animals might not survive in the world’s hottest habitats.
Hippos live in parts of Africa too. They spend a lot of time standing in rivers and lakes. The sun’s rays can burn their backs.
To protect their skin, hippos release a sticky red substance through their pores. It is like a natural sunscreen. It helps to keep the hippos’ skin from burning.
Physical adaptations can be very important. Without special skin, hair, or ears, many animals might not survive in hot habitats.
