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Some animals, including African
painted dogs, lick their wounds to clean
them, which can prevent infection.
Western grey kangaroos lick themselves
as a mean of regulating their body
temperature. During hot, dry weather
in their native Australia, the kangaroos
lick saliva onto their forearms, where a
dense networks of vessels carry blood just
under the skin. As the saliva evaporates,
heat is carried away from their body.
Taking mud baths, or rolling around
in mud, as our rhinos and red river hogs
enjoy doing, is another way animals cool
down during hot weather. The mud coat-
ing also protects their skin from the sun,
dehydration, and biting insects. Dust
baths serve some of the same purposes
for zebras, bison, and birds such as our
guineafowl and peafowl. The dust helps
the animals rid themselves of parasites
and removes excess oils from the surface
of their body.
Grooming for

Social Bonding

Social grooming, or allogrooming,
is the act of grooming another animal
of the same species or family group.
The most common type of social
grooming is the grooming of a newborn
by its mother, which establishes
a strong bond between the mother
and her newborn.
“For most hoofed mammals, social
grooming is generally just from mom to
calf,” said Dana Vinci, lead animal care
specialist, Hoofed Mammals. “It’s often
a matter of survival. For example, a
giraffe mom licks the birth fluids off
of her newborn and consumes the urine
and feces on its body. That’s because
a smelly calf will attract predators.”

African lions are social animals, unlike other big cats.
Brutus and Titus are brothers.

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