From Chic Silber #1

BBC Documentary  Ongoing research on elephants & rhinos For an upcoming BBC documentary We are just beginning to notice some remarkable behaviours and adaptations of elephants and rhinos. These two groups are the largest terrestrial animals in the world today. The three species of elephants range from 5.5 tonnes for an average male African Bush elephant to 2.7 tonnes for female Asian elephants. Rhinos, of which there are five species, can exceed 3.5 tonnes. But much about them, remains a mystery, with many discoveries into their behaviour being made recently. In 2010 it was confirmed there are two species of African elephants, the Bush and the Forest elephants. The same year, scientists suggested that the Northern and White rhinos are so distinct in appearance and genetics, they should be classified as separate species, taking the number of living rhino species to six. Scientists are discovering why elephants have a fine coating of body hair, rather than the thick pelage of most mammals. Only a few mammals, including humans and seals, have such little body hair. The answer is that elephant body hair actually helps the large mammals regulate their body temperature, Elephants are so large they have the highest body volume to skin surface ratio of any terrestrial animal, which means they have the most difficulty in keeping cool, especially under the hot African sun. The fine hairs covering their body, which help shed heat, enhance their ability to keep cool. African elephants also use their ears to shed heat, where Asian elephants rely on their trunks.