Why are elephants big and grey?

Answer 1

Elephants are big because they rely on their size to protect them from predators in the savannah such as the lion or hyena. If the elephant were to be smaller it would have a less % chance to survive in the wild .They would become a favorite snack to predators and people would feel sorry for them because they would be 2-3 feet tall mammals with nothing to defend itself from wild predators except a half foot trunk only useful to carry food into its mouth.

Some scientists think they have gray skin because Manufacturing colors has an environmental cost which must be weighed in the evolutionary balance sheet against the gains which may ensue. It takes energy to produce a particular color and the chances are that the more spectacular the color pattern, the more costly it is in energy terms to produce. In other words elephants may be gray because it costs too much energy to make them any other color. Is gray still a neutral adaptation under this scenario? No! If this is why elephants are gray, then there is the evolutionary advantage of less energy expenditure to be gained from being gray.

I believe there is a further possibility. Elephants and other large gray animals such as hippopotamuses and rhinoceroses have trouble ridding themselves of heat. Black radiates heat most efficiently but by the same token also absorbs it quickly. White reflects heat but is an inefficient radiator. If elephants were white they would not rid themselves of their body heat quickly enough; if elephants were black they would rapidly overheat when out in the sun, although they would radiate efficiently when in the shade (assuming they are warmer than their surroundings). Gray may turn out to be the right compromise color for heat balance in large animals and thus would be anything but a neutral adaptation.

Answer 2

Elephants are probably grey because they are big.

Elephants are big simply because this what they are. They enjoy many of the benefits of large size, the chief one being a lack of preditors their size. Only humans hunt them. Saber toothed cats were once thought to prey on animals the size of elephants and rhinos, but the sabertoothed cats are extinct. Humans appear to be causing their own extinction, but sadly the elephants will probably go extinct before humans do.

One other advantage of large size is it helps regulate an animal's temperature. The largest of the dinosaurs were probably cold blooded, but kept a body temeprature of about 100 degrees because their enormous bodies trapped heat. Elephants are warm blooded however and can have problems if they overheat, since they can't sweat. However, they need some sort of skin pigment, because UV radiation can be harmful to skin and even cause cancer. Smaller animals like humans can be totally black because they loose heat much more quickly. If an elephant were any darker in color, its skin would heat up quicker than it could cool itself. The color grey seems therefore to be a working compromise between sun protection and avoiding the risk of overheating..

Answer 3

coz their mum and dad were big and grey too.

Answer 4

if they were small and pink, dont u think theyd probably be extinct or eaten by all the birds?

Answer 5

why do you have brown hair? its all genetics sweetheart. adaptation and evolution and the wonder of genetics!

Answer 6

because thats how God created them, and thats the way he wanted them to be

Answer 7

Because that's how god made them.

Answer 8

Because they evolved to be that way.

Answer 9

Because they're not small and purple.

Answer 10

because if they were small and brown they would be mice