The Cool Elephants

In pictures: How elephants cool off overnight, by University of Guelph.

Published: 24 January 2012.

Accessed: 24 January 2012

Summary:

Scientist from the University of Guelph, Canada have used thermal imaging cameras to record how Asian elephants cool themselves at night at the Busch Gardens zoological park in Florida, USA. During the  day when the elephants are in the open the cameras pick up  their heat signatures. The cameras show that the elephant maintain a steady overall temperature. The core areas come up red, and the cooler areas come up as greenish – blue on their backs. The species are known to flicker mud using their trunks, onto their backs to cool them. Images taken at night show a major difference in heat signatures as the elephants transfer their heat to their trunks. The areas around the eyes and the trunks appear white in color.

Studies show that African elephants dispose off their heat by the big enormous ears, but in the case of Asian elephants, their bodies s much smaller and therefore do not radiate much heat.

Response:

The human race has said to have evolved, the most. As a race we have evolved very little from our predecessor, but have changed the world according to our needs. The animal kingdom has evolved the most. We have never been avoiding the heat; we use AC's, cooler and other machines, but have never found a way to dispose of it. It is only recently that I found out that elephants use their trunks to cool themselves, i  have always had the understanding that they would either use mud or water to cool themselves, even other animals use the same technique or have evolved in other ways to get rid of heat. 

Vocabulary:

• Dissipate:

a.Understanding how elephants dissipate heat overnight.

b.Dissipate:Verb, To scatter in various directions.

Origin: 1525-25; < Latin dissipātus  (past participle of dissipāre, dissupāre to scatter).

C. The arrival of the Langur dissipates the macaques.

• Flick:

a.The species are known to flick mud or dirt in their backs.

b.Flick:To move (something) with a sudden stroke or jerk.

Origin:1400–50; late Middle English flykke;  apparently imitative

c.There was an ant on my arm, so i flicked it off.

• Effective:

a.they [are] very much less effective[ at heat loss], than the larger African elephant's ears.

b.Effective:adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intendedor expected result: effective teaching methods; effective stepstoward peace.

Origin:1350–1400; Middle English  < Latin effectīvus  practical, equivalentto effect ( us ), past participle of efficere .

c.The bullet shot from a gun is effective in hurting somebody.