Why do elephants flap their ears?
For grown-ups: the science
Elephants flap their big ears to help cool their warm bodies.
Elephant pinnae contain dense networks of superficial blood vessels. Ear flapping increases airflow and convective heat loss, helping regulate body temperature. Ear movements can also be part of social signaling, and the large pinnae aid hearing.
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Transcript
An elephant stands in the warm sun, and its big ears wave back and forth. Why does it flap them?
Elephant ears have many blood vessels close to the skin. Warm blood can lose heat there.
When an elephant flaps its ears, air moves over them. The moving air helps carry heat away.
Elephants may also wave their ears to show they are alert. Their giant ears can help them hear sounds too.
So ear flapping helps an elephant cool down. Those big ears are useful in more than one way!