‘Sploot Season' Is Here, And Animals Everywhere Are Feeling It
A squirrel rests on its belly, its legs outstretched behind it, in an attempt to cool down. The ... More practice is calling splooting.
For a dose of cute, look to the sploot.
What's the sploot? 'Splooting' refers to animals sprawling out, usually face down, with their legs outstretched behind them. Sometimes they strike the pose for an all-body stretch or to simply to get comfortable. Sometimes they sploot on cool tiles or shady grass or branches to regulate their internal body temperature when it's hot out.
The National Park Service highlighted the practice of splooting on social media this week as an expanding heat wave hit the Southwest and Rockies, with the National Weather Service predicting the Midwest and Northeast will experience 'the most oppressive heat of the season to date' this weekend and next week.
'It's sploot season, folks,' the NPS wrote. 'Remember to stay hydrated and find the shade. Sploot as needed.'
A splooting bear relaxes face down in Alaska's Katmai National Park & Preserve.
The NPS' Facebook post includes photos of splooting in the wild — a bear, marmot and squirrels. There's even an image of a turtle captured mid-'air sploot,' its belly on the ground, but its its neck and limbs lifted upward in a pose that looks like something straight out of a yoga class for reptiles.
'I mean if you gotta do it, do it with style and elegance,' wrote Facebook user Jill Earl, one of the many commenters clearly enjoying the photographic evidence of splooting season.
A turtle demonstrates an "air sploot," keeping its belly on the ground but lifting its neck and ... More limbs upward.
I'm proud to say my cat, Jet, is a master splooter. There's something decidedly adorable about splooting — though it can indicate that a pet has painful hip or joint issues, according to VCA, a network of animal hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. More often, though, it's simply an attempt to beat the heat. As parts of U.S. swelter, squirrels have never been more relatable.
We feel ya, overheated splooting marmot, we feel ya.
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