A scientist is observing elephants in Asia. He notices that a specific species of moth lands on the faces of the elephants. On closer observation, he sees that the moths irritate the eyes of the elephants and then drink the tears that emerge.

Question

What scientific question could the scientist ask to explain this?
A.
Do other species of moths also drink elephant tears?
B.
What nutrients that moths need are in elephant tears?
C.
How can the moths be kept off the elephants' faces?
D.
all of these

Answer 1

The most appropriate scientific question the scientist could ask to explain the observed behavior of the moths is B. What nutrients that moths need are in elephant tears?

This question directly seeks to understand the biological reason behind the moths' behavior of irritating the elephants' eyes to drink their tears, which could lead to insights regarding the nutritional value of the tears for the moths.

Options A and C could also be worthwhile questions but are not as directly related to explaining the specific interaction observed. Therefore, while "all of these" may cover various angles, option B is the most focused on understanding the underlying reason for the moths' behavior.