The Sun is essential for all life on Earth. While many animals prefer to hide in the shade to escape the heat, others can’t resist basking under its warm rays. From desert dwellers to ocean swimmers, these creatures have found unique ways to soak up the sunshine.

Let’s meet some of the biggest sun-lovers in the animal kingdom.

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Meerkats

These members of the mongoose family are iconic desert dwellers of Africa. Meerkats love nothing more than gathering in groups to bask in the sun. Their thin fur and dark bellies make them perfectly adapted for temperature control—lying on their backs to warm up or flipping onto their stomachs to cool down.

Sea Lions

For sea lions, sunbathing isn’t just a pastime—it’s survival. Along the Pacific coast, they crowd onto beaches in noisy colonies, each one vying for the best sunny spot. Sometimes you’ll even spot them floating on their sides in the water, with a flipper raised above the surface. The sun warms their blood through that flipper, which then circulates heat throughout the body.

Hippopotamus

Hippos love lounging by rivers and lakes, soaking in the warmth. To protect their skin, they secrete a natural sunscreen that’s pinkish-red in color. This led to the myth that hippos “sweat blood,” but in truth, the secretion keeps their skin moist, flexible, and protected from cracking under the sun.

African Penguin

Though penguins usually bring to mind icy landscapes, the African penguin thrives on the sunny beaches near Cape Town. Colonies of up to 3,000 birds can be found sunning themselves between dives into the ocean. These playful penguins are even known to steal space on beach towels from human sunbathers!

Blackbird

Birds, too, have their own sunbathing rituals. Blackbirds, for example, often sprawl in gardens on sunny days with wings spread wide and feathers fluffed. This behavior doesn’t just feel good—it helps expose parasites hidden in their feathers, making sunbathing a built-in cleaning routine.

Marine Iguanas

Native to the Galápagos Islands, marine iguanas are the world’s only seafaring lizards. After feeding underwater, they clamber onto lava rocks to warm their bodies in the sun. Like other reptiles, they are cold-blooded and rely entirely on external heat to regulate their body temperature.

Garter Snakes

Snakes are also cold-blooded and need sunlight to function. After a meal, they bask to speed up digestion by raising their body temperature. Garter snakes are especially known for this habit. After emerging from winter hibernation, they spend hours soaking up the sun to regain the energy needed to hunt.

Painted Turtles

These colorful turtles begin their day with a sun session. At dawn, they climb onto logs or banks and spend hours basking. Sunlight not only warms them but also dries out parasites on their shells. Painted turtles are even known to use floating debris as makeshift sunbathing rafts.

Alligators

Alligators often gather in large groups—known as “congregations”—to bask along riverbanks. Sunlight helps them regulate their temperature, but when it gets too hot, they cool off with a dip in the water. Sometimes they even sunbathe with their mouths open, releasing excess heat like a built-in cooling system.

Western Boxelder Bugs

These small insects are surprisingly dedicated sunseekers. In autumn, they emerge to bask, which helps them stay healthy. Sunlight stimulates the production of chemicals that spread across their bodies, protecting them from microbes. For such tiny creatures, sunbathing is literally a matter of survival.

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Why Animals Love the Sun

From penguins and hippos to snakes and iguanas, sunbathing plays a vital role in the lives of many creatures. For some, it’s about warmth and energy; for others, it’s about protection, digestion, or even pest control. Next time you stretch out under the sunshine, remember—you’re in good company.