Why small GIFs?
The response to a search query is bound to be a number of individual tilings. Since the number could be quite large, and users may not have a broadband connection to the Internet, small graphics must be used. GIFs are slightly better than JPGs for this purpose. The average size of the GIF’s is 7Kb. Around 25 fit on a screen, so that a visual inspection of around 100 tilings is feasible.