{"id":2342,"date":"2014-06-05T09:00:24","date_gmt":"2014-06-05T09:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/indogomagazine.com\/indogo\/?p=2342"},"modified":"2014-06-09T18:31:27","modified_gmt":"2014-06-09T18:31:27","slug":"koalas-hug-trees-stay-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/indogomagazine.com\/indogo\/koalas-hug-trees-stay-cool\/","title":{"rendered":"Koalas Hug Trees to Stay Cool"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australia\u2019s Koalas Hug Trees to Stay Cool, Study Finds<\/span><\/p>\n

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) cope with extreme heat by resting against cooler tree trunks, according to a new study led by Dr Michael Kearney from the University of Melbourne\u2019s Department of Zoology.<\/p>\n

In Australia, heat wave events can hit koala populations hard. \u201cWe know that about a quarter of the koalas in one population in New South Wales died during a heat wave in 2009. Understanding the types of factors that can make some populations more resilient is important,\u201d said co-author Prof Andrew Krockenberger from James Cook University.<\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr Kearney, Prof Krockenberger and their colleagues observed the behavior of 30 koalas during hot weather at French Island, Victoria.<\/p>\n

They used a portable weather station on a long pole to measure what the koalas were experiencing in the places they chose to sit compared to the places available to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cKoalas were observed hugging cool tree trunks,\u201d said Dr Natalie Briscoe of James Cook University, the first author on the study.<\/p>\n

\"Thermal<\/a>

Thermal image of a koala hugging the cool lower limb of a tree, illustrating a posture typically observed during hot weather. (Image credit: Natalie J. Briscoe et al.)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe found trunks of some tree species can be over 5 degrees Celsius cooler than the air during hot weather. Access to these trees can save about half the water a koala would need to keep cool on a hot day. This significantly reduces the amount of heat stress for koalas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prof Krockenberger added: \u201cin this study the coolest trees were acacias. They\u2019re not a koala food tree, but clearly they can be important when it comes to coping with the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAccess to cool tree trunks would significantly reduce the amount of heat stress for koalas,\u201d Dr Kearney explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cCool tree trunks are likely to be an important microhabitat during hot weather for other tree dwelling species including primates, leopards, birds and invertebrates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe availability of cooler trees should be considered when assessing habitat suitability under current and future climate scenarios.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team also found that while panting and licking their fur helps koalas cool down, this can also lead to dehydration.<\/p>\n

The results of the study are published in a paper in the journal Biology Letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

================================<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Australia\u2019s Koalas Hug Trees to Stay Cool, Study Finds Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) cope with extreme heat by resting against cooler tree trunks, according to a new study led by Dr Michael Kearney from the University of Melbourne\u2019s Department of Zoology. In Australia, heat wave events can hit koala populations hard. \u201cWe know that about a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scitech"],"yoast_head":"\nKoalas Hug Trees to Stay Cool - IndoGo!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Koalas Hug Trees to Stay Cool - IndoGo!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Australia\u2019s Koalas Hug Trees to Stay Cool, Study Finds Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) cope with extreme heat by resting against cooler tree trunks, according to a new study led by Dr Michael Kearney from the University of Melbourne\u2019s Department of Zoology. 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