Assignment 6: Animal Documentary

Why am I sharing this documentary?

In summer time, I can't stand the hot weather in Taiwan, which makes me want to lie on the ice and do nothing. While in winter, I have to put as many clothes as I can to go out the buildings or I feel like I will be frozen to death.

When I turn on the air condition in summer or the heater in winter, there is always a question in my mind--what can those animals living in the hottest and coldest places do when they don't have the air condition or the heater as I do?

When I saw this video, I'm so impressed by their body condition and want to share with you.


Summary of the documentary

When it’s cold, we put on clothes to keep warm. When it’s hot, we dress less and even turn on the air condition to cool down.

Animals, like us, have to keep their bodies’ temperatures within a certain range to survive. In the harshest environment, some have developed remarkable ways to deal with heat.

For example, elephants live in hot places, and have several ways to keep in cool. One way is through the skin, where heat energy is lost. Second, the wrinkles covering the elephants give the heat to escape. Third, while playing in the muddy water, elephants can cool down their bodies. When they leave the pool, the mud can holds moisture in their skin. Besides, the most impressive system for beating the heat is their ears, which radiate a lot of heat. When it’s hot, blood vessels in the ears open, and allow it to cool when it flows through the skin. Also, elephants flap their ears to get the heat out.

At the coldest place on earth, the few creatures that are able to survive face the opposite problem. They need to conserve heat energy. Emperor penguins for example, know how to keep warm. First, they stick together and take tern standing in the middle. Second, a penguin’s feathers are densely packed, overlapping, and water proved. Third, they have small feet which are filled with fat so they can stand on the ice ground on their bare feet.