What's Splooting and Why are Animals Doing it?

Dogs, cats, squirrels, bears and other animals "Sploot" when it's too hot. Today's blog will explain what it is and why they all do it!

(Photo:  A squirrel splooting in the shade. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation)

What's Splooting and Why are Animals Doing it?

June 29, 20233:49 PM ET ,Kai McNamee

  As climate change is making extreme heat events more common, squirrels are "splooting" to cope.

Splooting is a behavior some animals use to cool their body temperature. Squirrels are finding cool surfaces and lying on their stomachs, legs spread, to cool off.

Think of it like finding the cool side of the pillow when you're trying to fall asleep. Sunny Corrao of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation says it's about transferring the heat away from their bodies: "They're trying to find a cool space, and if they can put as much of their core body onto a cool space, then the heat is going to transfer from their bodies to the other surface. So in the case of squirrels, you'll often see them maybe on a shady sidewalk, or a park path, or in the grass, just splayed out."

When humans are hot, sweating cools us down. But animals that can't sweat have to resort to other behaviors to cool off. Dogs pant. Birds dunk themselves in water. And squirrels sploot. But it's not just squirrels that sploot:

What's the big deal? Splooting squirrels are popping up all over social media. And while it may seem goofy and cute (it is), splooting can be a sign that squirrels are experiencing temperatures much higher than what they're used to. Climate change is making things worse.