In fact, the elephant is the largest living land mammal in the world. A male elephant can grow up to 4 metres in height and weigh up to 7 tonnes; whilst their females counterparts can still weigh in at a mere 3. To feed an animal of such gigantic proportions takes a lot of food. When you are an elephant, that equates to finding and eating an awful lot of food. As you would expect, all that food needs to be digested and dozed off, which is why our elephant friends can deposit upwards of kg of dung daily!
Elephants are herbivores and only eat grasses, herbs, fruit, plants and trees. Their healthy, vegetarian diet is obviously good for them as the average elephant has a life span of around 70 odd years, a bit like we do Despite their size, they are actually pretty nimble and can walk up to km per day, although they usually only average is only 25 km on a daily basis.
They can also run faster than you would expect, easily reaching speeds of 40 mph, which is a lot faster than us humans can run. Where once elephants roamed across the whole of Africa, they are now limited to conservation areas and the Savannah. African and Asian elephants can currently be found in 37 African countries, and across 13 Asian countries. Most people believe that there are only two species of elephant in the word, but in fact there are three: African savannah, Loxodonta africana African forest, Loxodonta cyclotis Asian, Elephas maximus There are actually two very different species of African elephants living on the African continent, both very different in their culture and appearance.
Elephants are gentle, intelligent creatures that must be protected to ensure that they remain part of our natural ecosystem for centuries to come. Elephant Anatomy We know that elephants are big, and that they have trunks, but what else do we know about the anatomy of these beautiful beasts?
The trunk alone can weigh as much as kg and can be a used as a deadly weapon. However, a trunk can also be used to pick up a feather, offer comfort to a distressed calf, push over a tree and hold 12 litres of water.
In case you hadn't noticed, elephants also have tusks. These are made of ivory and are present in both male and female African elephants. The tusks are actually elongated incisor teeth that first appear at two around years of age. To give you an idea of just how many elephants are lost to the ivory trade, in the 's there were 1.
Elephants also have rather large ears. They are designed this way to pump blood around them to help cool the elephant down under the hot African sun. The more the ears flap, the hotter the elephant is. They say an elephant never forgets. This could be because they are extremely intelligent creatures and have brains that can weigh as much as kg. The skin of an elephant can be up to 2. Despite this, elephants are very prone to skin parasites and use mud and dust baths to try and get rid of them, as well as to cool off.
Elephant have six sets of teeth that grow one set after another, throughout their lives. By the time they reach their 50's, most elephant have started to use their final set. Elephant Social behaviour Elephants are social animals who tend to live in large groups. There is usually one leader, the matriarch, who is often the oldest female, with the rest of the herd being made up of her own offspring. Being the oldest, she has the experience and knowledge that will ensure the survival of the herd in times of hardship.
She will take them to water and food beyond their usual range, and teach them how to protect themselves from danger. Young females will usually stay with the herd, whilst the males leave the herd during adolescence between the ages of 10 and 19 years to lead the life of a more solitary bull elephant.
Family life is definitely all about mums and their babies, although the male elephants are usually not too far away, keeping an eye on their offspring. Elephant Communication Elephants are highly intelligent, social animals that use a variety of different means to communicate with each other. Like humans, they love to talk to each other by vocalising a range of calls and sounds.
Research shows that as many as 70 different calls have already been identified, ranging from the loud trumpets of panic to the comforting rumbles of reassurance.
They also use infrasound sounds that are at a frequency inaudible to humans calls which can be heard up to 14km away. Recent evidence also suggests that they may also be able to communicate through seismic waves that pass through the ground, which they pick up through their sensitive feet. Like many other animals, elephants also use smells to pick up information about other elephants and their environment.
For example, a male can tell when a female is ready to mate from the chemical signs she leaves in her urine and faeces. This, combined with the characteristic calls of that time, ensures that all the local males will know when the time is right to compete for her affections. Elephants secrete chemicals from temporal glands that are behind their eyes.
We do not fully understand their function but it does appear to be linked to chemical communication. Elephant Reproduction Reproduction is one of the most important elements of nature. It ensures the continuation of every species, and every species does it differently! In the elephant world, females are generally ready to become a mum at around years old and can give birth to as many as 12 calves throughout the course of their lives.
Whilst we consider the human gestation period to be lengthy, at a mere 9 months, be thankful you are not an elephant! The average gestation period for a female elephant is a whopping 22 months. Female elephants must have a thing for the older man, as males do not come into their prime until they are between years of age. Musth is a periodic condition in bull elephants that is characterised by highly aggressive behaviour and is accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones.
Testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be as much as 60 times greater than in the same elephant at other times. Musth can last for as long as six months in the dominant males and they will often stop feeding for several days during this period of time.
Elephant Love and Relationships Rumour has it that elephants mate for life. Whilst this is not necessarily true, animal scientist have proven that they will never stray far from mating partners. They are known to be able to develop strong and intimate bonds between friends and family members. They can form lifelong friendships and will often only move in the same groups for their entire life.
The tusks of elephants grow through their life. The tusks can weigh over pounds. Elephants can swim — they use their trunk to breathe like a snorkel in deep water. Elephants have a slow pulse of 27 and for a canary it is ! The elephant is the national animal of Thailand.
An elephant in the wild can eat anywhere from — pounds of vegetation in a 16 hour period. The intestines of an elephant may be 19 meters in length, or more than 60 feet long. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. African Elephants Loxodonta africana and L. General Appearance Body shape Largest living land mammal Tip of trunk to tip of tail Fowler Skin Color Gray typically Often appear brown because of mud baths Frequent bathing, showering, and powerdering with dirt is important for skin care Thickness varies Paper thin inside ears, mouth, and anus 1 inch thick on back and head Nerves and glands Well-supplied with nerves No visible sweat glands Sparsely haired adults Longer hair on tip of tail, chin, elbow and knees Babies are covered with hair which decreases with age becoming short Feet Toes 5 toes on each foot from Nowak Outer toes may be vestigial Nails Five nails on each forefoot 3 on each hindfoot Foot pads Cushioned Structure helps absorb chock May serve as sensory receptors from Weissengruber et al.
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