Staying Cool . . . With Snot?

Echidnas are small, spiny mammals found throughout Australia, where the weather can be sweltering. Echidnas can’t pant, sweat, or lick themselves to cool down like most other animals do. So how do they survive the searing Australian heat? The answer may be snot.

When it gets hot, echidnas blow bubbles of snot from their nose. Scientists at Curtin University in Australia decided to observe wild echidnas with heat-sensing cameras (above). They found that the creatures’ slimy noses were much cooler than other parts of their bodies. As moisture in the snot evaporates, or changes from liquid to gas, it carries heat away from echidnas’ bodies. That helps the animals stay cool when temperatures are high, explains Christine Cooper, a biologist who led the study.