MASS APPEAL
![Illustration of an elephant sinking into a ripple in the background to represent its weight and effect on its environment.](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/physics/space-and-time/elephant/2727188-3-eng-US/elephant_full_495.png 495w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/physics/space-and-time/elephant/2727188-3-eng-US/elephant_full_990.png 990w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/physics/space-and-time/elephant/2727188-3-eng-US/elephant_full_1468.png 1200w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/physics/space-and-time/elephant/2727188-3-eng-US/elephant_full_1980.png 1200w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/physics/space-and-time/elephant/2727188-3-eng-US/elephant_full_2475.png 1200w)
Imagine that this page is actually a trampoline. Any object would sink into the surface. The more massive something is, the more it sinks in. This is why the elephant sinks into the page more than the ant!
Image Credits:
Kid photos: courtesy of Denis Finnin, AMNH; It's All Relative: Jim Paillot; Rabbit, elephant, and ant: Francesco Santalacia; You Light Up My Life!: Cathy Sanchez Duvivier