young Agile Wallaby (Macropus agilis) licking its forearm to aid thermoregulation

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Kangaroos and wallabies do not have the ability to sweat. Instead, when temperatures get hot and they want to cool down, they coat their forearms with saliva. As this evaporates it helps to cool the blood as it flows through vessels close to the surface of the skin.

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Size: 3648px × 5472px
Location: Mamukala Wetlands, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia
Photo credit: © Ray Wilson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, australia, australian, cooling, forearm, kakadu, licking, macropod, macropodidae, mammal, mammalian, mamukala, marsupial, national, nature, northern, park, territory, thermoregulating, thermoregulation, wildlife