Question

Explain why it would be impossible for a gorilla the size of king kong to have fur. (your answer should explain how the surface area/volume ratio of a normal-sized gorilla would compare to kong's; relate this to the role of surface area and volume in heat generation and heat transfer; and consider the function of fur

Answer 1

Animals that are smaller in size have a larger surface area. Animals that are larger in size have a larger surface area. The larger the surface area, the faster the animal loses heat, and at a faster rate. The smaller the surface area, the slower the animal loses heat. Thus, a smaller gorilla would lose heat at a faster rate than a larger than life gorilla such as Kong. The smaller gorilla can have hair for this reason. Kong cannot as he would get too hot too quickly.

Answer 2

Fur plays an important role in conservation of heat. smaller animals have larger surface area to volume ratio as a result of their size. consequently they are prone to losing more heat to the environment. on the other hand, bigger animals have smaller surface area to volume ratio and as a result, they lose little heat to the surroundings. in this scenario it is impossible for gorilla size of Kong to have fur because they lose less heat to environment so no need to conserve heat using fur.