Heat Wave Has Squirrels Splooting in Alexandria, Virginia
"They're not dead. They're cooling down."
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Anh Phan did a double take when she glanced out her window and saw a squirrel laying flat on its stomach on the rail of her fence, thinking, “Apparently this squirrel has reached the limit … of something.” What she was witnessing was a classic squirrel splooting.
Splooting is a thing. An animal sploots when it lies flat to the ground or the floor or some other surface with its four legs spread wide. Perhaps your own dog or cat has been found splooting on the kitchen floor now and then.
They’re trying to find a cool space, and if they can put as much of their core body on 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 on a shady sidewalk, or a park path, or in the grass, just splayed out.
MORE: High Temperatures Prompt Cooling Centers to Open in Alexandria
