Why Do Elephants Have Hair? Discover Their Unique Cooling Mechanism

Humans are the only mammals that have hair on their heads but very little hair on the rest of their bodies. Three reasons humans have hair may be to protect our heads from the sun, to keep our heads (and brains) warm at night, and to aid in choosing a mate!

But what about elephants? Do elephants have hair to attract a mate? Or is it to help protect them from the African sun? Let’s find out everything to know about elephant hair!

Elephants Have Built-in Air Conditioning!

According to a study done at Princeton University, researchers discovered that the hairs on elephants serve as a cooling mechanism drawing heat away from the body, “perhaps in a similar fashion to the way previous research suggests spines help cool plants such as cacti.”

Many animals have hair or fur to keep them warm. Think about the enormous polar bear and its thick coat of fur. However, researchers found when the hair was sparse, like on elephants, it serves as a coolant.

Elephants use other techniques to keep cool as well, like using their trunks to suck up water and splash it on their backs. Their large ears also play an important role in temperature control. The researchers discovered hair is extra helpful on windless days where the wind is not contributing to keeping the giant animals cool.

Which Elephants Have the Most Hair?

• Asian elephants have more hair than African elephants.
• Baby elephants have more hair than adult elephants.
• Baby Asian elephants have the most hair. Their bodies are covered in a dark reddish-brown hair that covers most of their bodies.

Where’s the Hair?

Elephants have hair all over their bodies but unevenly scattered. Most of their hair is around their eyes, ears, chin, trunk tip, and the end of their tail. Let’s dig into the purpose of hair across their bodies.

Elephant Trunk Hair

Elephant trunks have a low amount of hair across them, but it’s consistent. Like other parts of their body where there are light amounts of hair, trunk hair effectively cools the trunks of elephants.

Elephant Tail Hair

The hair at the end of their tail is coarse and is used as a built-in fly swatter, keeping the pesky flies from landing and biting. The hair at the end of their trunks is super sensitive- almost like cat whiskers. They can use the senses in these hairs to locate food and to sense where the rest of the herd is so they can stay close to their mother when needed.