Presenter: Taylor Millett
Authors: Taylor Millett, Samuel Tobler, Wendy Schatzberg
Faculty Advisor: Wendy Schatzberg
Institution: Dixie State University
Thermoregulation in animals is an incredible adaptation made to live through blistering hot summers and extreme cold winters. Big game animals such as deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope have this adaptation more commonly known as a summer coat and a winter coat. We measured and compared an animal's winter coat and summer coat using a scanning electron microscope to show why an animal can survive extreme temperatures. We used a scanning electron microscope to identify the different topography of the individual hair and focused on the thermodynamics of each individual hair.