Pigs sweat away body heat

DO PIGS sweat? They do, and a sweaty pig is indeed a tough critter to catch, says Mark Pokras, assistant professor of wildlife medicine at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton, Massachusetts.

All mammals, notes Professor Pokras, sweat somewhere on their bodies, but because many mammals are covered with fur, their sweat glands tend to be located on the pads of their feet.

If furry creatures tried to sweat through thick hair, it would become matted down - because sweat contains oils as well as water - and would no longer be able to trap air to provide insulation against cold. But horses and some other hairy animals whose hair is relatively thin do sweat profusely.

Like humans, pigs are good at sweating away excess body heat, although they also roll around in mud puddles to cool off, says Professor Pokras.

And what about all the furry creatures with few sweat glands in their skin? They get rid of excess body heat by panting.

Moving air quickly over the mucous membranes in the mouth and nose allows water to evaporate. Because it takes calories to convert water from liquid to vapour form, heat is lost. Even humans resort to panting if sweating does not get rid of enough body heat.