The elephant is the largest land mammal on Earth. These giants evoke positive emotions in us from early childhood. Most people believe that elephants are smart and calm. And in many cultures, the elephant is a symbol of happiness, peace and home comfort.
Types of elephants
Today there are three types of elephants on the planet, which belong to two genera.
African elephants are divided into two types:
- Savannah elephant is an animal of huge size, with a dark color, well-developed tusks and two small processes located at the end of the trunk. Representatives of this species live along the equator on the territory of the African continent;
- The forest elephant is characterized by relatively small growth (up to 2.5 m) and rounded ears. This species lives in the tropical forests of Africa. These species, by the way, often interbreed and produce viable offspring.
The Indian elephant is much smaller than the African, but has a more powerful physique and disproportionately short legs. The color can be from dark gray to brown. These animalsdiffer in small quadrangular auricles and one process at the very end of the trunk. The Indian elephant is an animal common in the subtropical and tropical forests of China and India, Laos and Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Description of the elephant
Depending on the species, the growth of an elephant at the withers ranges from 2 to 4 meters. The weight of an elephant varies from 3 to 7 tons. African elephants (especially savannas) sometimes weigh up to 12 tons. The powerful body of this giant is covered with thick skin (up to 2.5 cm thick) of gray or brown color with deep wrinkles. Baby elephants are born with sparse coarse bristles, while adults have almost no vegetation.
The head of an elephant is large with large hanging ears, which have a rather large inner surface. At the base they are very thick, and closer to the edges - thin. Elephant's ears are the regulator of heat exchange. By fanning them, the animal provides cooling for its own body.
An elephant is an animal with a rather specific voice. The sounds that an adult makes are called boars, lowing, whispering and roaring. The life expectancy of an elephant in nature is about 70 years. In captivity, this period can be extended by five to seven years.
Trunk
An elephant is an animal with a unique organ. The trunk reaches a length of about one and a half meters and its weight is about one hundred and fifty kilograms. This organ is formed by the nose and fused upper lip. Over 100 thousandmuscles and tendons make him flexible and strong.
Ancestors of elephants, who inhabited the Earth in the distant past, lived in swamps. They had a very small proboscis, which allowed the animal to breathe underwater, while foraging. Over millions of years of evolution, elephants left the swampy areas, significantly increased in size, respectively, the elephant's trunk adapted to new conditions.
The animal carries weights with its trunk, picks juicy bananas from palm trees and puts them into its mouth, draws water from reservoirs and arranges a refreshing shower during the heat, makes loud trumpeting sounds, smells.
Surprisingly, the elephant's trunk is a multifunctional tool that is quite difficult for little elephants to learn how to use, often the cubs even step on their proboscis. Elephant mothers are very patient, teaching their cubs for several months the art of using this much-needed "outgrowth".
Legs
An amazing fact, but the elephant's legs have two kneecaps. Such an unusual structure made this giant the only mammal that cannot jump. In the very center of the foot is a fat pad that springs up with every step. Thanks to her, this powerful animal can move almost silently.
Tail
An elephant's tail is about the same length as its hind legs. At the very tip of the tail is a tuft of coarse hair. With the help of such a brush, the elephant repels insects.
Distribution andlifestyle
African elephants have mastered almost the entire territory of Africa: Senegal and Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya, the Republic of the Congo and Guinea, South Africa and Sudan. They feel great in Somalia and Zambia. The main part of the livestock lives in national reserves: in this way the governments of African countries protect these animals from poachers.
An elephant can live in territories with any landscape, but it tries to avoid deserts and dense rainforests, preferring savannah to them.
Indian elephants mainly live in the south and northeast of India, in China, Thailand, on the island of Sri Lanka. Animals are found in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia. Unlike their African counterparts, they prefer wooded areas, choosing dense shrubs and bamboo thickets.
Elephants live in herds, in which all individuals are connected by family ties. These animals know how to greet each other, take care of their offspring in a very touching way and never leave their group.
Another amazing feature of these huge animals is that they can laugh. An elephant is an animal that, despite its size, is a good swimmer. Moreover, elephants are very fond of water procedures. On land, they move at an average speed (up to six kilometers per hour). While running short distances, this figure increases to fifty kilometers per hour.
Feeding elephants in nature
Researchers have calculated that about sixteen hours a day, elephants devote to the absorption of food. During this time, they eat up to 300 kg of variousvegetation. The elephant happily eats grass (including papyrus, cattail in Africa), bark and leaves of trees (for example, ficus in India), rhizomes, fruits of wild apples, bananas, marula and even coffee. Elephants and agricultural plantations do not bypass, causing them significant damage. This applies primarily to the crops of sweet potato, corn and a number of other crops.
Elephants get food with the help of tusks and trunk, and chew it with molars, which change as they grind down. In zoos, the diet of elephants is much more diverse: they are fed with greens and hay, they are given various vegetables and fruits. Especially willingly they eat apples and pears, cabbage, carrots and beets, they love to feast on watermelons.
Adults drink a lot of water - up to 300 liters per day, so in natural conditions they try to be near water bodies.
