*”Hot Climate Survival” Quiz*
1. How do big ears help animals stay cool?
Huge ears let lots of air flow over them, moving the heat from the blood
vessels in their ears out into the air.
2. What do roadrunners do to quickly heat up in the desert
morning?
It turns so its back is facing the sun, and then spreads its wings a bit.
3. True or False: Cape ground squirrels whip their tails
like a fan to blow air and keep cool.
FALSE! They handle the heat by flipping their big fluffy tail up over their
head, like a built-in parasol!
4. How else do Cape ground squirrels use their tails?
They’re also used to fight off certain desert pests like snakes!
5. What gives Saharan silver ants their silvery shine?
That’s a dense coat of triangle-shaped silvery hairs that cover its
exoskeleton. Those both reflect sunlight away from the ant and also help it
get rid of heat already built up in its body.
6. How did scientists study the silver ant’s hairs?
They shaved silver ants and then put them under heat. The shaved ants
heated up quicker than the hairy ones, showing the hair helps them stay
cool!
7. What is estivation?
Estivation is like hibernation, except animals do it in warm weather
instead of cold weather.
8. What do estivating animals cover themselves with to stay
moist?
They cover themselves in crusty cocoons made of skin or mucus to stay
hydrated. That’s right, booger blankets!
9. How long do Australian burrowing frogs spend above ground
& out of estivation?
They may be out of their cocoons & aboveground for only 2 weeks of their 20year life!
10. True or False: desert snails survive by visiting lemonade stands.
That would be cool, it is FALSE!
They survive by crawling up onto plants and then estivate, waiting until
cooler temperatures arrive to wake back up.
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