Squeaks and I are getting ready for a fun picnic outside! We’ve packed our basket with tasty and healthy snacks and lots of water. Since it’s sunny, I’ll need sunscreen to avoid a sunburn. But it got us thinking: how do animals protect themselves from the sun?
Many animals have natural coverings that help protect them from the sun. Birds have feathers, while animals like bears, dogs, and cats have fur or hair. Lizards and snakes have scales. These coverings act like a shield against the sun’s rays.
Some animals, like pigs, don’t have much covering on their skin. They roll in mud to protect themselves from the sun. The mud acts like sunscreen and also keeps them cool. Elephants do something similar. They cover themselves in mud, and older elephants even help cover baby elephants with sand or dirt to keep them safe from the sun.
Alligators have scales that help protect them, but they also make a special chemical inside their bodies called gadusol. This chemical acts like sunscreen. Snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, most birds, and even fish make gadusol too. It helps them stay safe from the sun, even underwater!
It would be great if our bodies made gadusol, so we wouldn’t need sunscreen. Scientists think that a long time ago, humans might have been nocturnal, meaning they were active at night and avoided the sun. That’s why we don’t make gadusol or have fur or feathers to protect us.
Some animals, like whales, can still get sunburned because they don’t have fur or make gadusol. However, whales have special ways to heal from sunburns, like developing a tough outer layer of skin.
Since we can’t make our own sunscreen, let’s do what some animals do and find a shady spot under a tree for our picnic. Thanks for joining us! If you want to keep learning with Squeaks and me, subscribe to our channel and check us out on the YouTube Kids app. See you next time!
