DENVER — As hot temps soar, squirrels are surprising people with how they're trying to keep cool.
"Squirrel splooting" describes the odd behavior of squirrels stretching out on top of cool surfaces, like concrete or grass in the shade, to chill out in hot temperatures.
But, "splooting" isn't an exclusive summer sport to squirrels – even our pets use the technique to cool down their bodies and rest when they become overheated.
Most experts don’t recommend interacting with wildlife, but they do say it is OK to leave out clean water for them to drink from.
We have reports from viewers on the 9NEWS Facebook page from all around the metro area who have found animals trying to keep cool by spreading out.
Viewer Dawn Jeske Dahl said she puts out ice in a bowl and birdbath for them and spray down the ground where they can cool off.
Betin Macha posted, "We had one doing that on the driveway in the shade under our trees. We had to honk at the little guy to get him to move!"
"I can report that squirrels are splooting in Longmont," posted Lorna Edwards.
Christian Riekert posted, "My resident squirrels around my Denver area yard do this all the time on my maple tree...cracks me up."
"Ours comes over daily to sploot! He likes the bowl of water we leave out," posted Rachel Moonflower.
9NEWS viewers have been sharing their "splooting" pictures with us and you can too – view the picture gallery.
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