Researchers use thermal vision to unpack how the spiny monotremes tolerate the searing Australian heat
Snot cool: scientists have learned echidnas blow mucus bubbles that burst and wet their snout to help deal with the heat.Snot cool: scientists have learned echidnas blow mucus bubbles that burst and wet their snout to help deal with the heat.It’s long been thought echidnas are poor at dealing with the Australian heat but researchers say they have some secret weapons, including snot bubbles.
The furry and spiky pointy-beaked critters don’t perform the usual behaviours animals rely on to avoid overheating. They also perform belly flops on cool surfaces, allowing the escape of heat when their spineless tummies make contact with patches of shady ground or hollowed-out logs, and their legs also let heat escape.
“Echidnas are not supposed to be very tolerant to high temperatures and that’s pretty unusual for a species that lives all over the Australian continent,” she says.
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