So, for context, and as mentioned above, splooting is when an animal—doesn’t matter which one, really—lies down on the floor with mainly their hind legs spread outward with an optional front leg spread.
Some might refer to that as frogging, but there’s an entire Wikipedia page about it, so we’ll stick to the formal terminology. Anywho, the community was created in early 2015 and has since then drawn together a whopping 213,000 members, making it the Top 1% of Reddit.
Besides being soops adorbs, splooting actually serves a very important function. Gilbertsville Veterinary Hospital points out that splooting is a type of stretch that dogs and some cats (and according to the subreddit, most animals) do that benefits their hips.
Splooting is also a technique by which animals cool off on a hot day. They press their belly up against the floor absorbing its relatively low temperature. Animals do this at a younger age more often when they are more flexible, and the behavior slowly fades out of their system with time.
Splooting is such a serious deal that it even has different types of sploots.
So, check this out: there’s the classic sploot, whereby one leg remains under the body while the other leg kicks back; the side sploot, whereby one leg is tucked under the body while the other is kicked outward to the side; and the commonly seen full sploot, which means the animal has kicked out both of its hind extremities as if doing a full body stretch.
Corgis are said to be the ones who popularized this (among other things, wink wink), all breeds of dogs (and many species of animals) have since then joined in making splooting a thing.
A bit of a side note: as the planet is turning into a ball of fire, the temperature of which is gradually increasing until it seemingly hits infinity, animals have started displaying various signs of trying to cool off.
Besides splooting, the coolest change in animals has been shapeshifting. Since 1871, one Australian parrot species showed an increase in beak size of up to 10%, hinting at attempts to better regulate body temperature. Shrews and bats were seen doing the same, but to a smaller scale. It is important to note that these changes might not necessarily hint at climate change, and causes alarm among animal researchers.
#15 He Fell Asleep Like This. I Posted It Elsewhere Before Learning About Sploot
Other forms of cooling off include spitting and snotting as well as pooping. The former is seen in red kangaroos and echidnas, the first of which lick their fur and it cools off as it evaporates and the second blow snot bubbles.
As for pooping, a number of birds actually soil their own legs and it functions as sweating does in humans. While various birds do it, it’s more common in birds that have longer legs, like storks and condors. This also, in turn, means that they need to drink a lot, hence why they hang out around watery environments.
#18 Chorizo Sploots Because He Can't Feel/Move His Back Legs And This Is Comfy For Him, But Also Because He's Just Fancy Like That
But, back to splooting. There are other reasons why dogs, among other animals, sploot besides wanting to be cooler and stretchier. There’s also the one many assume based on the position—resting and relaxation. This often happens after an intensive walk or exercise.
Splooting can also be a sign of trust. Since the sploot position is difficult to recoil from in an unforeseen event of danger approaching, animals do it only when they feel safe. In pets, that would mean they feel comfy around you. Kinda like letting you scratch their belly.
