African Elephants Need to be Hairless to stay Cool
The frequently harsh temperature of the African grasslands is probably the primary reason its elephants lose their hair. The huge surface area on their massive bodies makes them especially prone to excess heat. The fact that their Asian elephant counterparts have significantly more hair to suit them in their cooler climate proves the need for this adaptation.
African elephants are significantly larger than their Asian counterparts. Scientists’ research has long puzzled why African elephants have patches of thin hair, most notable on their heads. The strategic and scarce dispersal of these hairs has the opposite effect of a typical mammal’s fur by distributing heat evenly throughout the body and into the air rather than as insulation. It is a seemingly small example of natural selection, but it can help keep these giant mammals up to 25% cooler on the hottest days.