The Surprising Scale of Elephant Ears

An elephant’s ears do more than help them hear. They act as massive personal air conditioning units, cooling the animal down by radiating excess body heat through a network of tiny blood vessels.

Because elephants cannot sweat, their ears are their primary cooling tool. A large ear can contain a complex web of veins that releases heat into the air, especially when the elephant flaps them to create a breeze. The size of these ears actually varies based on the climate of the species. African elephants, living in hotter regions, have much larger ears compared to their Asian relatives.