To prepare carmine, the powdered scale insect bodies are boiled in ammonia or a sodium carbonate solution, the insoluble matter is removed by filtering, and alum is added to the clear salt solution of carminic acid to precipitate the red aluminium salt, called carmine lake or crimson lake.ther methods for the production of carmine dye are in use, in which egg white, fish glue, or gelatin is sometimes added before the precipitation. The quality of carmine is affected by the temperature and the degree of illumination during its preparation, sunlight being requisite for the production of a brilliant hue.
There are two living relatives of this group, the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) and the larger African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana). These two elephants are closely related to the extinct mammoths that once roamed the planet.
Elephants also use their trunks to give themselves showers. Though elephants belong to the group of mammals called pachyderms, which means âthick-skinned,â actually their skin is very tender. Even though their skin is 1-inch thick, elephants have no layer of fat under their skin, so they are very sensitive to cold and to extreme heat. On hot days, elephants cool off by giving themselves a shower with their trunks. An elephantâs trunk can hold one and a half gallons of water.