Sunlovers of Animal Kingdom

November 2, ,2023

Members of the mongoose family and at home in the deserts and grasslands of Africa, meerkats love nothing more than basking together in the sun.

Meerkat

They congregate in large colonies on the shores of the Pacific and spend much of their time noisily arguing over the best basking spots.

Sea lion

Hippos sunbathe on the banks of rivers and lakes to warm themselves when it’s cool out.

Hippopotamus

More commonly associated with cold weather, it may come as a surprise that our next sun lover is a penguin!

African penguin

Most bird species sunbathe in some way, with some of the most familiar examples being robins and blackbirds.

Blackbird

Like most lizards, the marine iguana is often found basking in the sun.

Marine iguana

Snakes are another animal that cannot regulate their body temperature and rely on the sun to do so.

Garter snake

Like the marine iguana, painted turtles need to bask in the sun to absorb heat and keep their body temperature up.

Painted turtle

Alligators need the sun to regulate their temperature, so spend a lot of time basking, either alone or in large groups known as congregations. 

Alligator

They go into hiding in autumn but emerge regularly to sunbathe, which is essential to their health.

Western boxelder bug