African elephant
The biggest and heaviest of all land animals, the
magnificent African elephants is a giant plant-eater
with an appetite to match its size. It is famous
for its intelligence and excellent memory.
With its long trunk, impressive tusks, huge ears,
and above all its colossal size, the African elephant is
a truly spectacular animal. It is specialized for eating
huge quantities of coarse vegetation, including tough
grass and tree bark, and will use its enormous
strength to push trees over to get at their leaves
if it is hungry enough. But the elephant can
also be gentle and sensitive, and has a
close - knit family life.
Starting life
A baby elephant grows inside its
mother's womb for 22 months -
almost two years. This gestation
time is longer than that of the ant other
mammal. Including giant whales.
The baby reaches full development
during the tropical dry season, and is
born at the start of the rainy season
when there is plenty of grass for its
mother to eat and turn into milk.
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| Photo by Simon Greenwood on Unsplash |
Height
4 m ( 13 ft)
Weight
10 tonnes
Lifespan
70 years
Habitat
African savanna
Diet
Vegetation
200-600 pounds of food / Day
Water
200 liters / Day
Status
Threatened
Total African elephant population
around 700,000
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| Photo by David Clode on Unsplash |
Skull and teeth
The bones of the skull are honeycombed with air spaces to reduce weight.
But together with the teeth and tusks, it still make up almost a quarter of the elephant's total weight. Huge, ridged cheek teeth - one or two on each side of each jaw - grind the elephant's fibrous food to a pulp. Over time , they move forward, like a conveyor belt , so old , worn teeth fall out, and are replaced by new teeth sliding up from behind.
Elephants keep in touch
by making deep rumbling sounds that can travel through the ground
for 8 km ( 5 miles) or more. They pick up the vibrations through the
soles sensitive soles of their feet.
Family ties
Female elephants and their young live in family groups led by the oldest, wisest female, who knows where to find food and water. They have a close bond , using their trunks to touch and caress each other. When young males
reach their teens, they leave to form all - male groups, but they often meet up with the family.
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