Question

When the skeleton of an elephant and the skeleton of a mouse are prepared in the same size, the bones of the elephant are shown thicker than those of the mouse. Explain why the bones of an elephant are thicker than proportionate. The bones are expected to withstand the stress due to the weight of the animal.

Answer 1

Hint: To answer this question, we first need to understand what bones are. Bone is a stiff bodily tissue made up of cells buried in a dense intercellular matrix. Collagen and calcium phosphate, the two main components of this substance, distinguish bone from other hard tissues like chitin, enamel, and shell.

Complete answer:
Skeleton - The bony or more or less cartilaginous framework that supports the soft tissues and protects the internal organs of a vertebrate. Skeletons exist in some form or another in all species. Bony skeletons are seen in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. These skeletons come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they always have a few characteristics. Take a look at how these skeletons differ from one another.

As discussed in the hint also the skeleton of both elephant and mouse is made up of the same material,
And also, the weight of an elephant is far more than that of a mouse. The elephant's skeleton is made up of 326–351 bones. A mouse has 225 bones to a human's 206. The weight of the elephant lies between 2700 Kilograms to 6000 kilograms, whereas the weight of the mouse lies between 19 grams to 40 grams. Therefore, we need to have a skeleton go elephant that can withstand a lot of stress, that’s why the bones of elephants are thicker than that of the mouse.

Note: The skeleton serves as the body's structural framework. The skeletal system was brilliantly designed to allow movement, store minerals, protect vital organs, bear the body's weight, and distribute forces. The mechanics for storing and producing blood cells are housed within its spongy interiors.