Why are elephants better suited for warm climates when the square cube law dictates they should have trouble dissipating heat?

Question

My understanding of the square cube law, should it need to be corrected: The larger an animal is, the less skin (and therefore heat dissipating area) it will have for its size.

I read somewhere that animals of the same species tend to be larger in colder climates, so to my understanding, it should relate to elephants as well, but if that’s the case, how do they thrive in the heat where they live?

Thank you!

In: Biology

Answer 1

Elephant-sized animals thrived in very cold climates as well. Elephants’ size does present a problem for heat, and that’s the biggest reason for their famously huge ears. Perhaps african elephants are just the largest size that an animal can reach in the climate they live in.