Splooting is a behavior sometimes exhibited by furry, 4-legged animals. They’ll spread out on their stomach with legs and feet extended to stretch and/or cool their body. So on a warm day the animal does this behavior to regulate its body temperature. You may have observed it with your own cat or dog. I observed a Harris’ antelope squirrel splooting on our back patio.

The squirrel was cute to watch! I also realized the squirrel’s fur was thinner on its stomach so body heat could be released onto the cool patio floor. The squirrel took its time to stretch and rest, obviously a safe place for it to hang out. But usually an animal will not sploot for long since that body position makes them more vulnerable to predators. Fortunately this Harris’ antelope squirrel soon took off and was on his way to probably one of the holes dug in our backyard.