Under moderate heat stress, ruminants pant with a closed mouth. Under significant heat stress, however, all animals pant with open mouths. This means that air with a high water content cannot condense on the mucosa of the nasal cavity, thus maximising the heat lost through evaporation. There is also some evaporation from the oral membranes. | Under moderate heat stress, ruminants pant with a closed mouth. Under significant heat stress, however, all animals pant with open mouths. This means that air with a high water content cannot condense on the mucosa of the nasal cavity, thus maximising the heat lost through evaporation. There is also some evaporation from the oral membranes. |