Tree-Hugging Keeps Koalas Cool

摘要

Thermal imaging has revealed that koalas cope with extreme heat by resting against cooler tree trunks, according to research published in Biology Letters. "We found trunks of some tree species can be more than 5℃ cooler than the air during hot weather," said lead author Natalie Briscoe of The University of Melbourne. "We know koalas also pant and lick their fur to cool down, but that can lead to dehydration. Access to these trees can save about half the water a koala would need to keep cool on a hot day." Researchers used a portable weather station on a long pole to measured what 30 koalas on Victoria's French Island were experiencing in the places they chose to sit, and compared this with other places available to them.