People strolling through parks may take a double take this summer by a squirrel sprawled out, face down, limbs outstretched and lying still. Don’t panic, squirrels are just “splooting.” If you see a squirrel lying down like this, don’t worry; it’s just fine.

On hot days, squirrels keep cool by splooting (stretching out) on cool surfaces to reduce body heat. It is sometimes referred to as heat dumping.

Veterinarians and animal experts believe the animals assume the pose to beat the heat, extending their surface area to cool down.

Don’t worry!