Do animals and birds sweat?
Sweating is a means of regulating body temperature. Since cold-blooded animals do not have that ability, it means, fishes, amphibians and reptiles do not sweat. Birds, though warm-blooded, don’t sweat like us as they don’t have sweat glands. But they have several ways of cooling themselves. A significant amount of heat is lost through bald patches and legs, which are not covered by feathers. Actions such as panting with open mouths, fluttering their throats, holding the wings up and out, splashing water on themselves, keeping to the shade during peak temperatures, also help in getting rid of excess heat. Only a few mammals like horses, produce as much sweat as humans. Dogs and cats have sweat glands only in the pads of their paws. Elephants, pigs, and small rodents have non-functional sweat glands like desert mammals which cannot afford to lose water by sweating or water mammals like dolphins, porpoises or whales who have no need to sweat.
Sweating is a means of regulating body temperature. Since cold-blooded animals do not have that ability, it means, fishes, amphibians and reptiles do not sweat. Birds, though warm-blooded, don’t sweat like us as they don’t have sweat glands. But they have several ways of cooling themselves. A significant amount of heat is lost through bald patches and legs, which are not covered by feathers. Actions such as panting with open mouths, fluttering their throats, holding the wings up and out, splashing water on themselves, keeping to the shade during peak temperatures, also help in getting rid of excess heat. Only a few mammals like horses, produce as much sweat as humans. Dogs and cats have sweat glands only in the pads of their paws. Elephants, pigs, and small rodents have non-functional sweat glands like desert mammals which cannot afford to lose water by sweating or water mammals like dolphins, porpoises or whales who have no need to sweat.
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