How Splooting Helps Certain Animals Regulate Their Body Heat

Paleontologist Danielle Dufault of Animalogic explained the concept of splooting, the act of lying down in a spread eagle position, and why it is so important for thermoregulation in certain animals, such as dogs, squirrels, bears, cats, marmots, and rabbits. This pose allows the animal to release their body heat into and absorb the moisture from the cool ground.

For many animals who don’t sweat, this is one of the most efficient ways to cool down. Splooting helps animals thermoregulate by cooling down their bellies. The water content of the soil keeps it cooler than the air, and on very warm days, it can be up to 5 degrees colder. This is why you  might catch your dog digging a hole in the garden  

Dufault further explains that the pose also allows the animal to relax their tired back muscles.

Researchers  believe that splooting not only helps the animals cool down but also helps them stretch their backs and relax their muscles. It’s the animal version of self-care, like having a cold drink in a pool on a sunny day, except the pool is made of dirt.  

She also talks about how other animals stay cool.

A lot of other animals who can’t sweat pant instead. …Pigs get a bit of a bad rep for loving bathing in mud, but mud is one of the most efficient ways to cool down…But if you don’t want to get messy, a drier way of losing body heat is through your ears…..Eusocial animals like bees have to worry about keeping themselves cool and  preventing beehive overheating. Air ventilation is  key.