Consider the Energy Budgets for Different Animals

The Elephant and The Mouse: A Comparison of Energy Expenditure

The elephant would have the highest total annual energy expenditure, and the mouse would have the highest energy expenditure per unit mass.

The elephant, being a large mammal, requires a significant amount of energy to sustain its massive body and perform daily activities. It has a high total annual energy expenditure due to its size and the energy required for activities like walking, foraging, and maintaining body temperature. On the other hand, the mouse, being much smaller in size, may have a lower total annual energy expenditure but a higher energy expenditure per unit mass. This means that relative to its body weight, the mouse needs to consume more energy compared to the other animals in order to support its metabolic processes and maintain its body temperature.

Elephants are herbivorous animals and need to consume large quantities of plant material to meet their energy requirements. They have a slow metabolic rate and digestive system, which allows them to efficiently extract nutrients from the plant matter they consume. Due to their large size, elephants also have higher energy demands for locomotion and thermoregulation. This combination of factors contributes to their high total annual energy expenditure.

On the other hand, mice have a higher metabolic rate compared to larger animals. They are small and have a high surface area-to-volume ratio, which leads to greater heat loss. In order to maintain their body temperature, mice need to generate more heat through metabolic processes. This results in a higher energy expenditure per unit mass.