The cutie capybaras are headed to the water for cool-off time. Photo: Jackelin Reyna, courtesy of the Houston Zoo
We're not the onlyones combating this unbearable heat. The Houston Zoo animals are getting extra water time to stay refreshed.
The California sea lions are making the most of their spacious pool, kept at a cool 60 degrees, allowing the pinnipeds to perform "porpoising," where guests can see them leap high out of the water and dive back in headfirst.
Capybaras — a semi-aquatic species with webbed feet and eyes, nose, and ears perched atop their heads — can chill out almost completely submerged for hours to beat Houston's heat.
Meanwhile, the Asian elephants use trunks to dust themselves to keep themselves cool. They then head to the pool, where the water washes away the dust and also refreshes them before they dust themselves again. And again.
The bottom line: Maybe we all need some extra water time.
The mongoose agrees: Watermelons are refreshing snacks in the summer. Photo: Jackelin Reyna, courtesy of the Houston Zoo