If you look carefully, you will find that the faces of big animals like elephant, horse, camel, cow or buffalo i.e. the snout is longer and stretched forward than that of small animals. At the same time, the face of small creatures like cat, rabbit, mouse or squirrel is relatively round or small. What is the reason behind this? Is it just a difference in size or is there a deep biological and scientific reason hidden behind it? Let's understand about it in detail.
Why do big animals have long faces?
First of all it is important to understand that the facial structure of animals develops according to their size, lifestyle, nature of food and environment. This is called the process of bio-evolution, in which over millions of years the body molds into the form that is most suitable for its survival.
The body of big animals is more massive, so they need more food. Most big herbivorous animals have to graze or eat leaves throughout the day. Long faces or snouts help them eat food more comfortably by bending closer to the ground. Just as the long snout of a horse enables it to graze grass continuously, the faces of cows and buffaloes have also evolved in such a way that they can eat for a long time without bending too much.
What will happen if the faces are not long?
Long faces of large animals are very important for their body functioning and lifestyle. If their faces are not long, they will have difficulty in eating food, smelling and breathing. The teeth get proper space in a long face, so that they can chew grass, leaves and hard food easily. Apart from this, a long face helps in removing their heat, which keeps the body temperature under control. Having a long nose also improves the ability to smell, so that they can identify food or danger from a distance. If the faces of large animals become small, their natural abilities will be weakened, which may make it difficult for them to survive.
One reason for large animals to have long faces is that it helps them adapt to their environment. For example, an elephant's trunk is not only used for eating and drinking water, but it also uses it to pick up things, cool itself and communicate. Similarly, animals like horses and cows are able to pick food from the ground easily with their long faces.
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