The term splooting exploded online shortly after the New York City Parks and Recreation Department posted about the behavior on Twitter. “If you see a squirrel laying down like this, don’t worry, it’s fine,” the department tweeted alongside an image of a squirrel stretching its limbs. “On hot days, squirrels keep cool by spreading (stretching) on cool surfaces to reduce body heat. Sometimes referred to as heat shedding.” Charlotte Devitz, a biologist and doctoral student studying squirrel behavior at the University of Minnesota, told CNN that she first noticed squirrels flooding while researching squirrels for her master’s degree. “At the time I wasn’t really familiar with the term. We just called it ‘flop’ behavior,” she said. “I thought that was super cute. For a long time I tried to find published articles on what this behavior was, but I didn’t have much success.” Devitz says splooting seems more common among larger, hairier species of squirrels, such as gray squirrels and fox squirrels. That ties in with the scientific explanation for why squirrels moult: It helps them cope with the heat, according to Devitz. The more scientific name for splooting is “heat rejection,” Devitz said. “The squirrel brings as much of its body surface in contact with a cooler surface as possible, often concrete or pavement that is in the shade.” “We’ve had quite a few record heats this summer, so this behavior has been very, very evident,” he said. Splooting is a “good way to thermoregulate,” especially since squirrels don’t lose much heat through sweat, Devitz said. The behavior, he said, “is also seen in other mammals. It’s just gotten a lot of visibility because a lot of people see it and are concerned when they see squirrels in their bellies.” Pollution can be especially common in cities like New York because of the way urban areas trap heat, Devitz says. “It’s very likely that there’s a higher incidence of this type of behavior in squirrels that are in urban areas, just because they need more ways to cool off,” he said. “With climate change,” Devitz said, “general temperatures are rising. We’re seeing more of these heat spikes, more drought. I think it’s very likely that this behavior will become more and more apparent and more and more necessary for the squirrel. .” Devitz notes that the cooling benefits of splooting are balanced by the potential risks squirrels face from predators. The prone position “puts them in a bit of a vulnerable position,” where they could be at risk from predators, he said.
