Extreme heat in photos: The creative ways people — and animals — are trying to keep cool

Yahoo News Photo Staff
A young girl pours a container of water over her head.
A girl splashes her face with water during a heat wave in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on July 8. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Earth is on track to experience another record-breaking summer, with temperatures soaring into the triple digits around the globe.

In the U.S., over 140 million people were under extreme heat advisories, watches and warnings on Wednesday. Temperatures broke records in the Western region of the U.S., climbing to 120-plus degrees Fahrenheit in places like Las Vegas and California’s Death Valley National Park.

At least seven people have died from heat-related illnesses, including five in Portland, Ore.

In New York, a bridge connecting Manhattan to the Bronx borough became stuck open on Monday when the bridge's metal became overheated, causing it to swell. Firefighters pumped water onto the bridge to try to cool it down.

People and animals in other parts of the world like Tokyo, the Czech Republic and Mexico are trying to beat the extreme heat of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, taking shelter in cooler places and taking advantage of shade, and nearby mist showers, water fountains and piles of ice for zoo-dwelling polar bears.

And if you feel like heat waves are lasting longer than they used to, you’re right.

A March study published in Science Advances, a peer-reviewed journal, found that the highest temperatures in these global heat waves are warmer and last up to four days longer than 40 years ago.

The global temperature in June hit a record high for the 13th straight month.

Here’s a look at how people and animals around the world are trying to beat the extreme heat.

A polar bear rests its body in a large pile of ice that was brought to its enclosure at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic.
A polar bear cools down in ice that was brought to its enclosure on a hot and sunny day at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, on July 10. (Petr David Josek/AP) (AP)
A silhouette of a man drinking from a large water bottle.
A man in Mexicali, Mexico, tries to stay hydrated by drinking water during a heat wave on July 4. (Victor Medina/Reuters) (REUTERS)
Tourists take photos at an unofficial thermometer at Furnace Creek Visitor Center.
Tourists take photos at an unofficial thermometer at Furnace Creek Visitor Center at Death Valley National Park in California on July 9. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Visitors walk near a sign that reads: Stop — Extreme Heat Danger
Visitors walk near a "Stop: Extreme Heat Danger" sign at the Badwater Basin salt flats in Death Valley National Park on July 9. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Tourists cool down by standing under a mist shower in central Tokyo.
Tourists cool down under a mist shower on Monday in central Tokyo, where temperatures have topped 95 degrees Fahrenheit. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
The World's Tallest Thermometer landmark shows a temperature reading of higher than 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
A temperature reading via the World's Tallest Thermometer landmark in Baker, Calif., registers higher than 125 degrees Fahrenheit during a heat wave on July 7. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
Tourists use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun.
Tourists along Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun on July 8. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
A pedestrian cools his head by running it under a public water tap on a street.
A pedestrian cools his head at a public water tap on a street in Podgorica on July 9 as temperatures in Montenegro's capital have reached 107 degrees Fahrenheit. (Savo Prelevic/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
A young girl wearing a bathing suit with her arms outstretched high in the air plays in a public water fountain.
A young girl plays in the fountain in Belgrade, Serbia, on July 8, amid a heat wave. (Oliver Bunic/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
A man on his phone takes a break and stands under a cooling mist.
A man takes a break under a cooling mist on Tuesday as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures. (Issei Kato/Reuters) (REUTERS)
A small leashed dog swims in a public water fountain in Zagreb, Croatia.
A dog swims in a fountain to try to cool down amid a heat wave Tuesday in Zagreb, Croatia. (Damir Sencar/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
A woman holding an umbrella over her head walks past a mist shower during hot weather.
A woman walks past a mist shower in central Tokyo on July 9. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)
A sign at Death Valley National Park reads: Heat kills!
A sign reading "Heat Kills!" is seen during a long-duration California heat wave on July 8 in Death Valley National Park in California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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