Movement is essential to live because an organism needs to move to find water, food and shelter. Respiration is important to living things because it provides energy to perform everyday functions. Stimuli is important to everyday life because so they can respond to things happening to them for example, an animal trying to eat them comes towards them. Growth is important so that they can become bigger and stronger. Reproduction is essential to living things so that they can keep their species alive. The excretory system is important so that it can eliminate waste from the body. Nutrition is important so that the body can keep forming e.g calcium for bone growth.
Movement of the African Elephant
Skeleton The skeleton contains 20-21 pairs of ribs which weigh 52.5kg. The cranium is filled with honeycomb spaces that allow the skull to be light in weight. The neck is relatively small meaning that an African Elephant cannot turn its head completely sideways. The direction of the bones is almost vertical which supports is massive weight although restricts leaping movement. African Elephants walk on the soles of their feet just like humans.
African Elephant's leg bone
An African Elephants inside of its leg bone is semi-solid because the bone marrow is not solid. The Bone Marrow makes red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. The Periosteum is the outer of the bone. The Periosteum keeps the bone together. The only place the Periosteum isn't on the outer part of the bone is where the cartilage is.
Muscle There are two types of muscles in the African Elephant. These are Involuntary and Voluntary. Involuntary muscles are the ones move on their own for example the heart. Voluntary muscles are the ones that are manually controlled. When an African Elephant moves its muscle, a signal is sent from the brain to the muscle fiber via the nerve down the spine. When this happens the proteins and chemicals get released into the tendon which either pull on the muscle to move it or relax it.
Nervous System
There are 3 components of nerves. These are Sensory, Motor and response.
Sensory Nerves The Sensory part is responsible for processing information. The Sensory system consist of Sensory Receptors, Neural Pathaways and parts of the brain.
Motor Nerves Motor Nerves allow the brain to control muscles. The brain sends signals over the motor nerves tell the muscles to expand and contract so they can move.
Response Nerves Response Nerves are the nerves that react to hot surfaces.