Grey, rough and wizened: elephant skin may not be beautiful in the traditional sense, but it’s all the more practical because of it. With its plentiful wrinkles, the pachyderm increases its surface area: an animal weighing in at around two tonnes has approximately 112,000 square centimetres of skin. This fl oppy hide emits heat – essential for survival on the hot savannah – but is particularly susceptible to attack by parasites. There’s only one way to fi ght back against these bothersome invaders: a dust bath. The elephant powders its skin, lets the sand dry, then rubs itself against a tree, thereby scraping off the sand and parasites.
