Zoos manage heat by providing habitats with shade, water, sun, and mud matched to each animal’s needs. Animals also use their own cooling tactics during hot weather. Dusky pademelons cool through evaporative cooling by licking their wrists, letting saliva evaporation cool blood near the skin. Aardvarks and African crested porcupines avoid heat by using subterranean shelter. Eastern black rhinos and capybaras cool by submerging in mud wallows. Big cats, Asian elephants, and Humboldt penguins cool by taking dips in pools. Humboldt penguins tolerate warmth through body adaptations that allow heat to escape, and they benefit from misting systems and fans. Additional cooling support is provided for other species as temperatures rise.
"Chester zoo says miniature wallabies called dusky pademelons use evaporative cooling by licking their wrists as the saliva evaporates, the blood within the vessels close to the skin is cooled. Meanwhile, aardvarks and African crested porcupines opt for subterranean shelter from the heat. As temperatures soar, many of the animals find their own ways of keeping cool in the sunshine, said Dr Nick Davis, mammals general manager at Chester zoo."
"The likes of the eastern black rhinos and capybaras will cool off by submerging themselves in mud wallows, while big cats such as Sumatran tigers and jaguars, and other species like Asian elephants and Humboldt penguins, might beat the heat by taking a dip in their pools, said Dr Nick Davis, mammals general manager at Chester zoo. Sumatran tiger Gaysha takes a dip in the water at London zoo. Photograph: ZSL"
"Indeed, while such birds might be expected to struggle in the heat, Humboldt penguins which originate from coastal regions of Peru and Chile are actually well equipped for warm climes, with body adaptations including bare patches around their face and a bill through which heat can escape. But they also receive a little help: as well as boasting the largest penguin pool in England, ZSL notes the habitat at London zoo includes misting systems and fans that can be used to cool the surrounding air as temperatures soar."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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