Editing Elf (section)

=Elven Ears=
In modern fantasy the prominent visual feature of Elves is pointed ears. This is not a unique feature to elves, as many other fantasy races have them (Fairies, Goblins and orcs), but it's the prime diagnostic trait of elves. In the case of Tolkien's Elves, the point is usually subdued. In the other cases, it is more pronounced with elongated ears that are often mobile.

In addition to being expressive, mobile ears offer something of an advantage as sensory organs, being better to adjust themselves to better work out the origin of a sound. <ref>There's a trade off, of course: The chief advantage of round ears, like humans have, are that while they have a harder time locating a sound, they are more likely to actually hear something if they aren't pointing at it, and be better able to differentiate between two similar noises. Other possible uses are unlikely given there relative smallness, for example they make poor heat dissipation elements such as an elephant's ears. Though a type of elf whose ears function like a Peacock's tail display for attracting the ladies (and males most often have those kind of features) would be funny.</ref>