Koalas
Keep Cool
National
Geographic, 2015
By: Daniel Stone
When
things heat up down under, koalas know how to keep their cool.
Now thanks to infrared photography, humans can see how they do it.
A
2014 study led by university of melbourne ecologists showed that when summer
temperatures climb up- often above 104 f- koalas climb down, pressing their
bodies close to the trunks of trees. Each tree has its own
microclimate says research natalie briscoe and can bemore than 12 f ooler than
the air. So for a koalas,
whose belly fur is relatively thin, tree hugging is like standing in front of
an open fridge. As a way to
regulate body temperature. It’s more efficient than panting or fur
licking-koala- cooling methods than use twice as much water.
In a separate study, university of
sydney biologist mathew crowter found that
koalas tend to chill out in”shelter trees”like casuarina rather than in
“ food trees’ like eucalyptus. But in a heat wave either will do. As extreme
heat become more frequent, tree hugging could becomeeven more crucial.
Clause
1. 1. When
things heat up down under, koalas know how to keep their cool
When things heat up
down under: connector
koalas know how to keep
their cool: object
2. 2. A
2014 study led by university of melbourne ecologists showed when summer
temperatures climb up- often above 104 f- koalas climb down
when summer
temperatures climb up- often above 104 f: connector
A 2014 study led by
university of melbourne ecologists: subject
koalas climb down: object
3. 3. So
for a koalas, whose belly fur is relatively thin,
tree hugging is like standing in front of an open fridge
So for a koalas: subject
whose belly fur is
relatively thin: connector
tree hugging is like standing
in front of an open fridge;object
