But why are elephants’ ears so large? When elephants pump blood to their ears, the blood moves along those thousands of vessels cooling to the outside temperature. The blood then recirculates through the elephant’s body, helping the animal return to a normal body temperature. Elephants’ ears also help them locate where a noise is coming from more precisely. Although they don’t give elephants the power to fly like Dumbo, elephants’ massive ears are a kind of superpower.