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Mud is wet dirt. Mud is sticky. Mud is slimy. Mud is useful, too. Click the arrows to see different ways animals use mud.
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Rhinoceroses wallow in mud to cool down. The mud also coats their skin and acts like sunscreen.
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Swallowtail butterflies land on puddles of mud. They drink the water to get minerals that are good for them.
![](/nationalgeographic/scout_april_2019/making_use_of_mud/250388/NGX0419_YE_POS4.960_0_1.jpg)
Cliff swallows build nests out of small balls of mud.
![](/nationalgeographic/scout_april_2019/making_use_of_mud/250389/NGX0419_YE_POS5.960_0_1.jpg)
Some crabs burrow, or dig a hole, in mud. They live or hide in the hole.
![](/nationalgeographic/scout_april_2019/making_use_of_mud/250390/NGX0419_YE_POS6.960_0_1.jpg)
Sandhill cranes use their beaks to “paint” their feathers with mud. It helps them blend in with brown grasses.
![](/nationalgeographic/scout_april_2019/making_use_of_mud/250391/crane.320_0_1.png)
without mud
with mud