While I’m a big fan of summer, I’m not such a fan of the sun.
I get burned in like 2 seconds, but what about wild animals?
Do they get as sunburned as I do?
Hey sunshine, Julia here for DNews
Animals live in some pretty extreme places, like the sahara where the sun scorches the
desert.
But it’s not like they go inside and turn on the AC and call it good.
How do these animals beat the heat?
It’s in the hairs’ shape.
if you were to cut it in half, a cross section would show it looks like a triangle.
This shape is really good at reflecting energy in the visible and near-infrared end of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
But because of their unique shape the hair also is really good at letting the ants cool
off.
They’re “highly emissive in the mid-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum”.
This way the ants can release some of their excess body heat.
These hairs appear silvery in bright sunlight hence their name, the researchers described
the ants appearance as looking “ like droplets of mercury on the desert surface”
Speaking of weird droplets.
Apparently back in the day circuses used to advertise hippos that sweat blood!
Turns out, it’s not blood.
It’s sunscreen according to a study published in the journal Nature.
That’s right, HIPPOS MAKE THEIR OWN SUNSCREEN TOO.
Which is also helpful when you live in sub saharan Africa.
When hippos get overheated they excrete two sticky substances.
One red, one orange.
Both act as really good sunscreens by absorbing UV light.
But the red pigment also acts as an antibiotic!
So hippos rarely get wounds.
Another study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A found
that the sweat also acts as a sunscreen because it’s reflective.
The sweat contains microscopic liquid crystalline structures that scatters light.
The structures look like concentric rings that occur at intervals similar to the wavelengths
of visible light.
But hippos aren’t alone in their ability to make their own sunscreen.
Recent research published in the journal eLife found other animals like Zebrafish can make
their own sunscreen too.
Zebrafish produce a chemical called gadusol that protects against UV radiation.
Previously this chemical was found in stuff like fungi or bacteria, and researchers thought
that the fish got the chemical by eating those things.
Turns out they can make it themselves.
The researchers were investigating compounds similar to gadusol in fungi and bacteria.
And they found that fish also possess the genes that code for an enzyme, EVVS, which
reacts with other compounds to produce gadusol.
They also found that some birds and reptiles, like chickens and alligators have the gene
too.
Since it’s commonly found in algae, the researchers think it’s an ancient trait.
That trait was passed on to vertebrates and remained useful for millions of years.
So maybe these species have been making sunscreen for millions of years or the researchers suggest
that gadusol could be beneficial for other processes like as an antioxidant, or in stress
response, or embryonic development.
As for us, we do have some natural protection from the sun and heat.
We’ve got melanin in our skin, which absorbs both UVA and UVB types of light and might
have other protective properties.
So the more freckles I get, the more protected I am from sun damage.
But freckles don’t always cut it, so thank goodness for sun screen.
And for your own protection, do you know what SPF means?
Basically SPF 30 means you can stay outside 30X longer without burning than if you didn’t
have sunscreen on.
SPF 30 usually protects against 97% of UVB rays but not against UVA rays, for that you’d
need “broad spectrum sunscreen”.
But the only way to be 100% protected is to stay inside and be on your laptop all day.
but if you have to go outside, be sure to lather up.
You’re no hippo.
Whales on the other hand, not so lucky.
Whales get sunburned too!
To learn more check out this great video right here.
So are you a sun bather or do you prefer to sit alone in a dark room watching youtube
all summer?