![]() 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. ![]() It is definitely a case of “girl power” in the elephant world as the females and their young live in breeding herds, whilst the males are often cast aside. They are known for their ability to stay within “family” groups for the duration of their lives, and never stray far from their own mothers. By the time they reach their 50's, most elephant have started to use their final set.Įlephants are social animals who tend to live in large groups. 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.Įlephant have six sets of teeth that grow one set after another, throughout their lives. The skin of an elephant can be up to 2.5 cm thick in places. This could be because they are extremely intelligent creatures and have brains that can weigh as much as 4-6 kg. The more the ears flap, the hotter the elephant is. They are designed this way to pump blood around them to help cool the elephant down under the hot African sun. To give you an idea of just how many elephants are lost to the ivory trade, in the 1970's there were 1.3 million elephants now there are only an estimated 400,000 left.Įlephants also have rather large ears. Unfortunately, man’s greed for ivory has led to a massive decrease in elephant populations throughout the world as they hunt and kill them for their tusks. The males’ tusks are heavy and can weigh over 100 kg. The tusks are actually elongated incisor teeth that first appear at two around years of age. These are made of ivory and are present in both male and female African elephants. In case you hadn't noticed, elephants also have tusks. 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. The trunk alone can weigh as much as 140 kg and can be a used as a deadly weapon. Well, an elephant’s trunk is actually a fusion of the upper lip and an elongated nose. We know that elephants are big, and that they have trunks, but what else do we know about the anatomy of these beautiful beasts? There are actually two very different species of African elephants living on the African continent, both very different in their culture and appearance.Įlephants are gentle, intelligent creatures that must be protected to ensure that they remain part of our natural ecosystem for centuries to come. Most people believe that there are only two species of elephant in the word, but in fact there are three: African and Asian elephants can currently be found in 37 African countries, and across 13 Asian countries. ![]() Where once elephants roamed across the whole of Africa, they are now limited to conservation areas and the Savannah. 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. 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 doĭespite their size, they are actually pretty nimble and can walk up to 195 km per day, although they usually only average is only 25 km on a daily basis. As you would expect, all that food needs to be digested and dozed off, which is why our elephant friends can deposit upwards of 150 kg of dung daily! Eew!Įlephants are herbivores and only eat grasses, herbs, fruit, plants and trees. When you are an elephant, that equates to finding and eating an awful lot of food. ![]() Their daily food intake is almost as much as 4-7% of their body weight. To feed an animal of such gigantic proportions takes a lot of food. In fact, the elephant is the largest living land mammal in the world.Ī 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 3.5 tonnes. Did you know that the word “Elephant” is actually latin for “huge Arch”? These animals certainly are huge and impressive beasts.
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