Think of a koala, how do you imagine it? Probably hugging a tree, moving his face in a mysterious way. Perhaps the figure of a koala sleeping on a tree branch comes to mind.
That position of the koala, in which it holds on to the branch of a tree, seems to be its natural state. According to Steve Griffiths thermal photographs, koalas cling to animals as a desperate way to deal with the heat of the environment.
Thanks to the thermal images that the artist was able to capture, it was discovered that they developed a new behavioral pattern to reduce their sensation of heat: rubbing their body against a cold surface.
Later, in a study carried out in the French Island National Park, near Melbourne, it was found that the temperature of the thick branches and trunks of the koalas generate relief, which is the only mammal that does not use holes or burrows. to protect yourself.
Dr Michael Kearney, from the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne, explains that:
They stay attached to the tree all the time to avoid being completely exposed to the heat. When the heat wave hits, the most effective way for the koala to stay cool is through evaporation. They don’t sweat but they pant and lick their skin. Therefore, in the hot season and low rainfall, koalas cannot sustain evaporation since they do not have sweat glands.
The research team observed that the koalas looked for the coolest branches closest to the ground, so that their stomach remained against the bark of the tree. This is because the skin on their stomach is much thinner than that on their back, so they push their fur out of the area to find themselves in direct contact with the coolness of the tree. In this way, they not only cool off by leaving their heat in the tree, but also maintain the heat necessary for their survival.
The study’s prediction is that koalas will continue this behavior only if it leads to more extreme heat waves. Therefore, Kearney proposes more detailed research into how temperature will affect the geographic distribution of animals. In the event that the environment is too hot, no behavioral method will be able to help.
Although this behavior is exclusive to koalas, this study allows us to become aware of the problem of . While humans can remain in one, there are animals that must fight against these changes. What will be your grain of sand?