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Title panel: An elephant raising its foot. Text reads, "The elephant's sixth toe." Panel 1: A human foot and an elephant foot pictured side-by-side, not to scale. Text reads, "Elephants, like people, have five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot." Panel 2: A horse and an elephant sit on opposite ends of a see-saw. The horse is high in the air while the elephant's end touches the ground. Text reads, "But, unlike people, elephants weight between 3,000 and 15,000 pounds. A horse weighs around 1,000 pounds." Additional note reads, "Male elephants weigh more than females. Some can weight much more than 15,000 pounds." Panel 3: X-ray vision shows a human foot flat on the ground, a human foot standing on tip-toes, and an elephant foot flat on the ground. Text reads, "And, unlike people, they walk on the tips of their toes." Panel 4: Elephants have special adaptations to carry so much weight. A drawing of an elephant raising its foot is labeled with arrows pointing to short neck, strong back, upright hipbone, and thick, strong bones. A magnified view of the elephant's foot shows a large fat pad underneath the heel bones. Text reads, "A fat pad in the foot squashes as an elephant takes a step, absorbing the shock and providing cushioning. Inside the fat pad, we now know, is a false toe - elephants' sixth toe. This bone helps support an elephant's weight after the fat pad is squashed flat." End of comic.

Title panel: An elephant raising its foot. Text reads, "The elephant's sixth toe." Panel 1: A human foot and an elephant foot pictured side-by-side, not to scale. Text reads, "Elephants, like people, have five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot." Panel 2: A horse and an elephant sit on opposite ends of a see-saw. The horse is high in the air while the elephant's end touches the ground. Text reads, "But, unlike people, elephants weight between 3,000 and 15,000 pounds. A horse weighs around 1,000 pounds." Additional note reads, "Male elephants weigh more than females. Some can weight much more than 15,000 pounds." Panel 3: X-ray vision shows a human foot flat on the ground, a human foot standing on tip-toes, and an elephant foot flat on the ground. Text reads, "And, unlike people, they walk on the tips of their toes." Panel 4: Elephants have special adaptations to carry so much weight. A drawing of an elephant raising its foot is labeled with arrows pointing to short neck, strong back, upright hipbone, and thick, strong bones. A magnified view of the elephant's foot shows a large fat pad underneath the heel bones. Text reads, "A fat pad in the foot squashes as an elephant takes a step, absorbing the shock and providing cushioning. Inside the fat pad, we now know, is a false toe - elephants' sixth toe. This bone helps support an elephant's weight after the fat pad is squashed flat." End of comic.
Tags: biomechanics, elephants, mammals, morphology, skeletons

The Elephant’s Sixth Toe

Posted on January 4, 2022 by fred

About This Comic

I jsut made this site so gimme a bit to get it fleshed out...

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bees biology biomechanics butterflies conservation coral reefs elephants fish geology insects mammals marine morphology physics pollinators research skeletons volcanoes

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