Before modern energy gave us modern air conditioning, we had sweat to keep us cool. And shade. And maybe a jump in a lake.

Animals still rely on those today to beat the heat. Horses, like humans, sweat. When the sweat evaporates, it cools the skin. Dogs, antelopes and some birds pant, drawing breath rapidly across their tongues and throats, where evaporative cooling brings down the temperature of blood near the skin surface. Other birds vibrate the flaps of skin on their throats to circulate air around blood vessels found there.

Elephants do something similar, cooling blood vessels in their huge ears, by flapping them. Camels and toucans draw air across blood vessels in their noses. Rodents and amphibians burrow in the soil or under leaf litter, where it’s cooler and moister.

Some toads burrow and go dormant until the next rain comes. Some even form a protective cocoon of their own shed skin. Deer, doves and many other creatures seek shade during the heat of the day, resting silently to keep metabolic rates low. Even fish seek shade underwater, under overhanging rocks or docks. Or they retreat to the dark depths, where the water’s cooler.

Speaking of water, buffalo and birds splash in shallow pools. Vultures, maybe not surprisingly, go so far as to pee on their own legs to cool themselves off. Which just goes to show, when the heat rises, animals have found amazing ways to adapt.