There are two types of elephant, the Asian elephant and the African elephant (although There are two types of elephant, the Asian elephant and the African elephant (although sometimes the African Elephant is split into two species, the African Forest Elephant and the African Bush Elephant). Elephants are the largest land-living mammal in the world. Both female and male African elephants have tusks but only the male Asian elephants have tusks. They use their tusks for digging and finding food. Female elephants are called cows.
They start to have calves when they are about 12 years old and they are pregnant for 22 months. An elephant can use its tusks to dig for ground water. An adult elephant needs to drink around 210 litres of water a day. Elephants have large, thin ears. Their ears are made up of a complex network of blood vessels which help regulate their temperature. Blood is circulated through their ears to cool them down in hot climates. Elephants have no natural predators. However, lions will sometimes prey on young or weak elephants in the wild.
The main risk to elephants is from humans through poaching and changes to their habitat. The elephant’s trunk is able to sense the size, shape and temperature of an object. An elephant uses its trunk to lift food and suck up water then pour it into its mouth. An elephant’s trunk can grow to be about 2 metres long and can weigh up to 140 kg. Some scientists believe that an elephant’s trunk is made up of 100,000 muscles, but no bones. Female elephants spend their entire lives living in large groups called herds. Male elephant leave their herds at about 13 years old and live fairly solitary lives from this point.
Elephants can swim – they use their trunk to breathe like a snorkel in deep water. Elephants are herbivores and can spend up to 16 hours days collecting leaves, twigs, bamboo and roots. It’s neither the mass, nor the big ears, which make the elephant so likeable for most people, but it’s the trunk. All people, whether adults or children, are fascinated by the trunk. When in direct contact with the elephant, most adults and children even have the feeling that the trunk is an independent creature. What does the trunk consist of? The trunk is composed of the nose and of the upper lip.
At the end of the trunk, the African elephant has 2 “fingers”, the Asian elephant has 1 “finger”. However the Asian elephants are not less skilful with their trunks than the African elephants – but sometimes they approach things a little bit differently. Though the trunk does partly consist of the nose, it does not have a nasal bone or any other bone. The elephant trunk consists of approximately 40,000 muscles, which group themselves round the nose tubes. the trunk as a social indicator Do elephants breathe and drink by their trunks?
In the trunk of the elephants there are also two nostrils, through which the elephants breathe. But the elephants can also soak up up to 8 litres of water into these nostrils and then blow it into their mouth. But, unlike people think sometimes by mistake, they do not drink the water directly through their trunks. This would cause the same cough reflex for the elephants like for humans. Young elephants drink their mothers’ milk directly through their mouth and not through their trunk. Regarding the complex structure of the trunk, it is not surprising that new-born lephants first have to learn how to use this multifunctional organ. It happens that young elephants tread on their own trunks and then scream like a stuck pig, because they dont know, where the pain comes from and how to get rid of it. That’s why the trunk is still relatively short after the birth and stretches just a few days later. What do elephants the trunk need for? Elephants use their trunk as a hand for the preparation of the food, for picking up the food or an object and of course – as an olfactory organ. Moreover the trunk serves as an indicator for the mood of an elephant.
The elephant can fend off other elephants by its trunk or can use the trunk as a punching or thrusting weapon. By its trunk the elephants smells at its conspecifics and at its environment and the trunk is an important means of communication. African elephantWeighing up to 6000 kg (6. 6 tons) and measuring up to 3. 3 m (10 ft. ) at the shoulder, the African elephant is the world’s largest land mammal. It is characterized by its highly dexterous trunk, long curved tusks, and massive ears. A combination of the upper lip and nose, an African elephant’s trunk is extremely versatile.
Elephants use their trunk for smelling, breathing, detecting vibrations, caressing their young, sucking up water, and grasping objects. The tip of their trunk is comprised of two opposable extensions, or fingers, which allow for extreme dexterity. Both male and female elephants possess tusks, which are modified incisor teeth. Although tusks are present at birth, the “baby tusks” fall out after a year, and permanent ones replace them. These tusks will continue to grow throughout the elephant’s life. Similar to the trunk, elephant tusks are utilized in a wide range of activities.
They are used for digging, foraging, and fighting. At times, they also act as a resting place for the elephant’s very heavy trunk. An African elephant’s large ears also serve many purposes. The ears’ large surface area helps radiate excess heat under the harsh African sun. The ears are also often used to communicate visually. Flapping their ears can signify either aggression or joy. And finally, elephants’ ears, used in conjunction with the soles of their feet and their trunk, aid in the ability to hear sounds over long distances.
On average, an elephant can hear another elephant’s call at 4 km (2. 5 mi. ) away. Under ideal conditions, their range of hearing can be increased to 10 km (6. 2 mi. ). Although elephants can make a very wide range of sounds (10 octaves), they mostly communicate through low frequency sounds called “rumbling. ” In fact, elephants are capable of producing and perceiving sounds one to two octaves lower than the human hearing limit. As lower frequency sounds travel farther than their higher counterparts, their range of communication is extensive.
Furthermore, elephants have the ability to judge the distance from another elephant based on the pitch of his/her call. As the sound travels over distances, the higher tones will fade out, leaving a lower pitch. Communication is vital to elephants, who rely on a social network for survival. The sustaining social unit is a herd of mothers and their young, sisters, and female cousins, led by an older matriarch. Male elephants will leave the herd at around 14 years old when they hit puberty. They then join a loose-knit band of other bull elephants, leaving the bachelor herd at will to search for potential mates.
African Elephant Amboseli KenyaUpon successful mating, the male elephant will move on to other herds, and the female will start a 22-month gestation period. When the calf is born, aunts, sisters, and cousins all help care for the newborn. In this way, all the elephants of the herd learn essential lessons in rearing a baby. And since elephants only give birth once every 5 years, successfully raising their offspring is critical to their survival. Aside from their ability to learn through watching and mimicking, African elephants also possess other very human qualities.
Their great capacity for compassion is demonstrated as they care for the wounded and grieve the deceased. Their developed sense of memory allows them not only to remember lost loved ones, but also to harbor grudges, and recognize longlost friends. Upon the return of a friend, elephants take part in a joyous greeting ceremony where they spin in circles, flap their ears, and trumpet. Having adapted to life across Africa’s diverse ecosystems, the African elephant plays a vital role in maintaining ecological harmony. African elephants ingest plants and fruits, walk for miles, and excrete the seeds in fertile dung piles.
In this way, new plants can grow in different areas and can cross fertilize. In fact, 90 different tree species rely on the elephant for propagation. African elephants also dig holes to expose underground springs. This allows smaller animals to access water in drier times. Conservation Status As African elephants act as a keystone species, it is vital to take steps in their conservation. Poaching and urban sprawl pose a massive threat to their survival. As such, the African elephant is classified as a vulnerable species under IUCN’s Red List.
What You Can Do to Help There are several ways to help support African elephants. One way is to participate in eco-tourism. Boosting Africa’s economy through eco-tourism helps placate local residents who view elephants as pests. The illegal ivory trade has skyrocketed in recent years. Decreasing the demand for ivory is essential. Never buy, sell, or wear ivory. Write to your politicians to speak out against poaching. (Americans can write a letter to the Secretary of State on the Wildlife Conservation Society website. ) For information n organizations that combat the illegal ivory trade, see National Geographic’s page, Blood Ivory: How to Help. In addition, you can help provide captive elephants with the best possibly life. Boycott circuses, whose unethical treatment includes chaining elephants up by their feet and trunks, as well as beating them frequently. Encourage zoos to create environments similar to African elephants’ native habitat. They should be able to encompass elephant families and their travel patterns, and they should be located in a warm climate so that the elephants can spend all year outside.
