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Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs.
Skeletons of a human and an elephant. Comparative foot morphology involves comparing the form of distal limb structures of a variety of terrestrial vertebrates.Understanding the role that the foot plays for each type of organism must take account of the differences in body type, foot shape, arrangement of structures, loading conditions and other variables.
The African bush elephant has grey skin with scanty hairs. Its large ears cover the whole shoulder, [12] and can grow as large as 2 m × 1.5 m (6 ft 7 in × 4 ft 11 in). [13] Its large ears help to reduce body heat; flapping them creates air currents and exposes large blood vessels on the inner sides to increase heat loss during hot weather. [14]
The African forest elephant is considerably smaller. Fully grown African forest elephant males in optimal conditions where individuals are capable of reaching full growth potential are estimated to be on average 2.09–2.31 metres (6.9–7.6 ft) tall and 1,700–2,300 kilograms (3,700–5,100 lb) in weight. [31]
Allometry (Ancient Greek ἄλλος állos "other", μέτρον métron "measurement") is the study of the relationship of body size to shape, [1] anatomy, physiology and behaviour, [2] first outlined by Otto Snell in 1892, [3] by D'Arcy Thompson in 1917 in On Growth and Form [4] and by Julian Huxley in 1932.
An African elephant in Tanzania, with visible tusks. Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors.
Elephantidae contains some of the largest known proboscideans, with fully-grown males of some species of mammoths and Palaeoloxodon having average body masses of 11 tonnes (24,000 lb) and 13 tonnes (29,000 lb) respectively, making them among the largest terrestrial mammals ever.
Closeup of the trunk of an Asian elephant. Muscles provide the force to move a muscular hydrostat. Since muscles are only able to produce force by contracting and becoming shorter, different groups of muscles have to work against each other, with one group relaxing and lengthening as the other group provides the force by contracting.