Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
In animal news, new research demonstrates elephants have a special technique to control
body temperature. Using heat sensitive cameras, Austrian ecologist Ms. Nicole M. Weissenböck
of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna and fellow researchers have demonstrated
that the world’s largest land animals have a number of “hot spots” around their bodies
and on their ears. They can cool down quickly by directing their blood supply to these patches
of skin. Published in the “Journal of Thermal Biology,” the study explains that the patches
get larger as the external temperature increases, with more blood flowing closer to the surface
of the skin. Our thankfulness, Ms. Nicole M. Weissenböck and colleagues, for shedding
light on the sensitivity of our graceful vegetarian co-inhabitants. May all pachyderms enjoy cool
breezes, wide terrain, and an abundance of healthful food on our shared eco-sphere�