Life in the heat: How animals at the Living Desert thrive in the summer

PALM DESERT, CALIF. (KESQ)- With temperatures in the Coachella Valley climbing into the triple digits, people are looking for ways to stay cool, but the animals living in the desert have their own survival strategies. 

Native wild desert animals survive these extreme highs through behavioral and physical adaptations like nocturnal activity, underground burrows, and heat-dissipating features, while local pets require strict human intervention to prevent heat stroke and fatal outcomes

Surviving the desert heat isn't new- it's something these animals have had to adapt to over thousands of years.

Jenny Lynn Robinson with the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens says adaptations can look different depending on the animal.

"Some animals have big ears that help them dispel heat. Some animals have light coats that reflect the sun, and they know how to deal with the heat," said Robinson.

Robinson said "burrowing owls, will go beneath the surface. It's actually up to 15 degrees cooler, just a little bit below the surface," is an example of the different ways animal's deal with the heat.

Even animals that are built and used to the desert sometimes need help during the hottest months. "We like to go the extra mile and give them a new experiences to stay cool. So things like ice provide the opportunity. Maybe they play with it, maybe they munch on it, maybe they wait until the ice cools and they lay in the nice cool ground," said Robinson