In New York, the behavior of squirrels in Central Park worries because of the high heat

Due to the high heat felt in New York, the behavior of squirrels, which mainly occupy Central Park, arouses the curiosity and concern of walkers.

A strange position. Just like in France, New York is experiencing strong heat, with temperatures reaching over 35 degrees. While humans obviously feel the effects of global warming, we must not forget that animals are also affected. This is particularly the case of squirrels, whose change in behavior may have worried some city dwellers.

However, the New York Park Department wanted to reassure passers-by, as reported the Guardian, indicating not to worry about the health of squirrels that lay their bellies on the ground with their legs stretched out behind them. “On hot days, squirrels cool off by stretching on cool surfaces to reduce body heat,” the department tweeted.

If you see a squirrel lying down like this, don’t worry; it’s just fine. On hot days, squirrels keep cool by splooting (stretching out) on cool surfaces to reduce body heat. It is sometimes referred to as heat dumping. pic.twitter.com/pD1T3lPbBH

— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) August 9, 2022

You should know that the belly of squirrels, like many other mammals, is made up of less fur than other parts of their body, so “the little splashes from the ground help them cool down,” said a professor in the department. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UCLA (University of California).

A widely used technique

He added that this technique is widespread in certain mammals, such as marmots whose behavior was studied by the UCLA professor. “On hot days they lie down on the rocks as the heat increases, because the stones are even cooler.”

In the same case, it is not uncommon to see dogs lying in the same position, on the tiles or other floors of the home which are generally cooler.

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