This is not just another cute animal video compilation, sez Nature, this is science.
David Hu and colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta filmed 33 wet mammals as they shook themselves dry. Some furry animals are aided by loose skin, which “whips the fluid around much faster than if the skin was tight”, says Hu. This generates forces of between 10 and 70 times that of gravity — high enough that the animals have to close their eyes to prevent damage from the extreme centrifugal forces.
Fact of the day: a drenched dog can rid itself of 70% of the water on its fur in four seconds.
