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Elephants are the largest living land animal. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea.

What s Elephantidae

Elephantidae is a family of large, herbivorous mammals collectively called elephants and mammoths. These are terrestrial large mammals with a snout modified into a trunk and teeth modified into tusks.  Source Wikipedia

Have you ever seen the Hindu God Lord Ganesha? Indian people worship this Elephant headed lord in the beginning of any occasion. The Lord Ganesha remind them of the giant land animal Elephant.

There are mainly two species of this giant animal.

African elephants

Weight: 6000 kg

Life span: 60-70 years

Height: 3.2 m

 

Asian elephants

Weight: 4000kg

Life span: 48 years average

Height: 2.8 m

 

 African Elephant

Asian Elephant 

                                                  

African elephants are taller than the Asian ones. The life span and the weight of African elephants are more than Asian elephants. 

Elephants are generally found near water, such as savannahs, marshes, deserts, and forests. All can be listed as the habitat of elephants. These giant animals need much food to full themselves. An elephant can spend up to 16 hours in search of food and eat it.

Elephants are herbivores, (her- biv-ore) that means they can eat only plants, grass, and roots.

 

Other types of herbivores: The cow, deer, beaver, antelope, bison. Camel, koalas, caterpillars…

 

EVOLUTION:

Around 56 million years ago, elephant species originated in Africa and remained there for 33 million years. Then after, the species started to spread across Europe, Asia, and America. Right now, elephants can be seen in Africa and in Asia in their natural habitat.

 

SOCIAL STRUCTURE:

 

Elephants live in herds. Their herds are female dominant. The dominant female leads the whole herd.

 

Males leave the herd as they age around 13. Then males find females for mating. The dominant female of the herd is generally the oldest one in the herd. She leads the herd from one place to other in search of water and food.

The memory of the elephants is very sharp. They memorize the spots for the seasonal food and water availability. The experience dominant female leads the herd according to the food and water availability of each season. They are so sensible that they have their norms to show condolences for the death of any family member.

 

BABY ELEPHANTS:

 

The gestation period of elephants is the longest of all the mammals and that is an average of 22 months. A baby elephant is called a calf. An elephant calf can weigh up to 200 pounds and be 3 feet tall.

They depend on the mommy elephant, and feed on their mother’s milk for about 5 to 10 years; for nutrition, learning to avoid danger and basic life skills like using their trunks.

 

 

RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANS:

Humans have made friends with different animals. One of them is the Elephant. Elephants are used for lifting weight by many villagers near forests. They are used to clean up forests with their trunks. The last several years, the relationship between these two friendly mammals has started to be spoiled.

Why? The reason for that is demolishing the natural habitat of elephants from humanity. Elephants are prone to poaching and killing for their ivory tusks. Governments of both the countries Africa and Asia are taking different steps to save this amazing animal.

 

FUN FACT:

 

The elephant listens with its feet as well as with its ears. With the help of its feet, it can even search the spot of the rain.