Although popularly referred to as 'cold blooded', active land-dwelling ectotherms are anything but cold. These creatures derive heat from their surroundings and feel relatively warm to the touch. However, as global temperatures rise thanks to human activity, many cold-blooded creatures are at risk of overheating and have to resort to activities such as sheltering and panting like dogs to protect themselves from the heat; unlike us, lizards cannot sweat. But Caleb Loughran from University of New Mexico, USA, warns that creatures that pant to keep their temperature down run the risk of dehydration. Curious to find out how costly this is to the animals, Loughran teamed up with Blair Wolf (University of New Mexico) and headed out into the wilds of New Mexico and Arizona in search of panting lizards to discover how hard some of them work to keep cool and how serious their risk of dehydration is.
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