If you are a parent, then the question '...Why do elephants have big ears..? is likely to be one of many that your child or children will ask you. You will feel that you should know the answer, but as with many things in life - you will struggle to find a reasonable or even 'truthful' answer. Lying is usually the best coarse of action as this can avoid the embarrassing situation of appearing ignorant. But worry no more, as the answer to 'Why do elephants have big ears?' can be discovered below.
Why are elephants ears so big?
Overheating is a big problem for large mammals and as the elephant is the worlds largest living land animal, it's ears have evolved to stop them from boiling to death.
The enormous ears of elephants act as cooling devices. This works because their large ears contain an intricate web of large blood vessels that are situated just below the surface of the skin. As an elephant heats up, they pump hot blood into these specialised veins which allows the heat to escape into the air. Their gigantic ear flaps can measure up to 2 square metres and when the elephant flaps its ears, the blood temperature can drop by as much as 5 degrees Celsius!
The pattern these specialised blood vessels create in the ears are unique to each elephant and can be used to identify them, like human fingerprints.
Because of the high day time temperatures, hot Savannah-dwelling African elephants have evolved larger ears than their forest-dwelling Indian cousins.
For more information click onto:
Baby Elephants
British Birds of Paradise
British Government Creates Worlds Largest Marine Reserve Around Chagos Islands
Can Flying Fish really Fly?
Cheetah Facts, Videos and Photographs
Discovered - Frog Unique to Science
Discovered - Giant Monitor Lizard
Discovered - the Language of Hyenas
Elephant
Elephants
Elephants - Can they Run or do they just Walk Fast?
Elephant Facts
Fall in Bee Populations Linked to Decline in Plant Biodiversity
Food Plants For Butterflies
Food Plants For Caterpillars
How Big is the Blue Whale?
How do you Clone a Mammoth?
How Does a Pitcher Plant Attract, Catch and Trap Insects
How Does a Venus Flytrap Work?
How Fast is a Cheetah?
How to Attract Bumblebees to the Suburban Garden
How to Attract the Hummingbird Hawk Moth
How to Make a Butterfly Garden
How to Make a Wildlife Pond
Jellyfish Swarms - The Latest Man-Made disaster?
Light Pollution and the Decline in Bat Populations
Light Pollution and the Decline of Native Insects
Light Pollution - The Hidden Threat
Lost Frog Returned from Extinction
Nectar Rich American Wildflowers for Attracting Native Bumble Bees
Nectar Rich Plants for Attracting Long-Tongued Bumble Bees
Non-Native Invasive Species - The Harlequin Ladybird
Non-Native Invasive Species - The American Signal Crayfish
Non-Native Invasive Species - The Ring-Necked Parakeet
Pesticides Toxic to Honey Bees
Plants that Attract the Hummingbird Hawk Moth
Seed Bearing Plants for Attracting Wild Finches
The African Elephant
The Decline of Butterfly and Caterpillar Habitat
The Decline of Insect Eating Birds
The Eagle Owl - Friend or Foe?
The Differences Between Crocodiles and Alligators
The Importance of Log Piles to Native Wildlife
The Mammoth
What are the Natural, Native Predators of Vine Weevils
What can we do to Help Save the Rainforests
What do Elephants Eat?
What is the Difference between African and Indian Elephants?
What is the Difference Between Alligators and Crocodiles?
What is the World's most Poisonous Snake?
What is 'Slash and Burn' Farming and How does it Affect the Rainforests?
Where do Elephants Live?
Which Native Animals Eat Slugs and Snails
Which Plants can Attract Bats into the Garden?
Why are Tropical Rainforests so Important?
Why do Carnivorous Plants Eat Insects and Animals?
Why do Elephants have Big Ears?
Why Shark Fin Soup is Devastating World Shark Populations
Photo care of http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/qi/8880869/QI-Quite-interesting-facts-about-ears.html and http://www.elephant-facts.com/elephant-ears-skin-and-legs/
No comments:
Post a Comment