--- description: Unlike panting and licking their fur, tree-hugging doesn't lead to dehydration title: Koalas Hug Trees to Stay Cool in Hot Weather image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte00d41aec2581a09/6986962113c79f829b19280c/114986383.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Koalas Hug Trees to Keep Cool (and Look Cute) by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2014 3:37 PM CUT  Cutest Koala Cutest KoalaErik Veland / Getty Images by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2014 3:37 PM CUT Turns out koalas aren’t just hugging trees so we can all marvel at how adorable they are — they’re actually hugging trees to keep themselves nice and cool in hot weather. Researchers tracked a group of koalas in their natural habitat in Australia during warm months. With the help of thermal imaging, they found that many of the creatures would cling to the coolest, lowest parts of the trees. Some tree trunks, it turns out, can be more than 5°C cooler than the surrounding air. Access to those trees can significantly reduce the amount of heat stress for koalas by reducing the amount of water they need to stay cool, according to the study, originally [published](http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/10/6/20140235 "undefined") in the journal _Biology Letters._ The researchers confirmed that tree-hugging is an important cooling behavior and that tree trunks are an “important microhabitat” for other tree-dwelling animals as well. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that tree-hugging is just [really really cute](https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/7604625152/h96DB9FE2/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2822022/koalas-hug-trees-to-keep-cool-and-look-cute/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2822022/koalas-hug-trees-to-keep-cool-and-look-cute/"},"headline":"Koalas Hug Trees to Keep Cool (and Look Cute)","datePublished":"2014-06-04T15:37:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:10:21.754Z","description":"Unlike panting and licking their fur, tree-hugging doesn't lead to dehydration","url":"https://time.com/2822022/koalas-hug-trees-to-keep-cool-and-look-cute/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals","Science topic","Summer","heat","trees"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte00d41aec2581a09/6986962113c79f829b19280c/114986383.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte00d41aec2581a09/6986962113c79f829b19280c/114986383.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"114986383","caption":"114986383","creditText":"Erik Veland / Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2822022/koalas-hug-trees-to-keep-cool-and-look-cute/","name":"Koalas Hug Trees to Keep Cool (and Look Cute)"}}]}] ```