Elephants are amazing animals that amaze with their size. Calculating the exact weight of an elephant is very difficult, because it depends on many factors. In fact, no two elephants are identical, because they all have different heights, weights, and tusk lengths. But still, how much does a newborn baby elephant weigh?
Short description
The elephant is the largest land animal on our planet, which is known for its love of water and huge size. Representatives of this species live in tropical latitudes, for example, in India and on the African continent. However, sometimes they can be found in other regions: they often become artists in the circus, because they are easy to train, they understand commands well and are considered very smart animals.
Before talking about how much a baby elephant weighs at birth, it is necessary to characterize this species as a whole. You should start by describing a multifunctional trunk, consisting of hundreds of thousands of muscles. With the help of this organ, animals breathe, make sounds, smellvarious objects, drink water and, using a small process at the end of the trunk, pick up all sorts of little things. Elephants are hunted for their valuable tusks, but it is illegal.
They lead a herd life, while all members of the herd are connected by blood ties. Together they take care of the young. It is known that elephants even know how to greet each other. Loy alty to the herd is maintained throughout life. This is also manifested in the fact that in the event of the death of one of the family members, the elephants are sad. The oldest and smartest female is at the head of the herd.
The life expectancy of elephants is approximately seventy years. Animals feed on tree bark, grass, roots and fruits. The amount of food consumed reaches 136 kg per day. At the same time, each individual drinks 100-300 liters of water daily. Do these numbers surprise you? Get ready to be even more shocked when you find out how much a baby elephant weighs at birth. We will talk about this a little later.
Types of elephants
Classification of elephants is based on their habitats. The range of savannah and forest elephants is limited to the African continent. It is the African savannah elephant that is considered the largest representative of the species, but its fellow is slightly smaller. Males are generally larger than females, and reach large sizes, up to 7.5 meters in length and 2.5 meters in height. At the same time, the highest point of their body is in the area of the shoulders.
The dimensions of Indian elephants do not exceed 7 meters. The smallest representative of this species lives in the region of the island of Kalimantan. The highest point onthe body of the Indian elephant is located on the crown. There are several subspecies of Asian elephants:
- Ceylon. Representatives of this subspecies live only on the island of Sri Lanka. 95% of individuals are missing tusks.
- Sumatra. As the name implies, the habitat of this animal is represented by an island called Sumatra. The body weight of adults is only 2-4 tons, so you can guess how much a small elephant of this subspecies weighs: about 50-60 kilograms.
- The Borneo pygmy elephant is the smallest in the world. Its height reaches 2.5 meters, and its weight does not exceed 3 tons, and even then it is quite rare.
Savanna elephant size
Before talking about how much a baby elephant weighs at birth, you should learn more about an adult - a savannah elephant, the largest of its kind. It has a strong body, large head, short neck, powerful tusks, massive limbs, huge ears and a long trunk. On average, males weigh seven tons, while females weigh up to five tons.
Record breakers
By how much a baby elephant weighs in kg, you can understand that these animals are real giants. But among them there are champions. For example, in 1974, information about the largest elephant, which weighed twelve tons, was entered into the Guinness Book of Records! This mammal was shot in the last century in Angola. It was a savanna variety.
Currently, the record holder is an elephant named Yossi,living in the Safari Park, which is located within the city limits of Romat Gan. With the help of a specially invited expert, it was found that the weight of the mammal is about 6 tons, height - 3.7 meters. The length of the tail reaches a meter, and the size of the trunk exceeds 2.5 meters.
Pregnancy
An interesting fact about elephants: the duration of the pregnancy of females of this species is from 20 to 22 months, depending on environmental conditions. The female gives birth once every five years, while in almost all cases only one baby is born, although there are exceptions. At the time of childbirth, the female goes aside, sometimes another elephant leaves with her. Childbirth lasts two hours or more. If a female is slow in labour, other members of the herd can help her.
Kids
How much does a baby elephant weigh at birth? Weight data varies: according to some sources, 85-110 kg, and according to others - from 80 to 140 kg. At the same time, elephant calves of the forest variety are born the smallest: no more than 85 kilograms, but the African savannah elephant is already large at birth: its weight is at least a hundred kilograms.
Regardless of how much the baby elephant weighs, within 2 hours after birth, he gets on his feet and can follow the herd, but, as a rule, the family sets off only after 3-4 days, when the baby elephant gets used to the world around him. Until the age of 10, the baby is carefully looked after, because only at this age does it reach sufficient size to be able to stand up formyself. It is finally formed by the age of 20. The weight of an adult elephant is equal to the mass of 4 rhinos or 4 giraffes.
Life cycle
Now it's clear how much a baby elephant weighs after birth. Conditionally, the life cycle of an elephant can be divided into several stages.
| Stage | Age | |
| 1 | Infancy | From birth to 2 years |
| 2 | Childhood | From 2 to 15 years old |
| 3 | Youth | From 15 to 20 years old |
| 4 | Maturity | 20 to 65 |
| 5 | Old age | From 65 |
From the first days, babies begin to actively gain weight due to frequent feeding. In fact, these animals eat for about 2/3 of the day, that is, 16 hours daily. Until the age of two, they mainly consume mother's milk, however, they quickly learn to use their trunk and pluck grass.
Up to about 15 years, elephants are in their herd, adopting the experience of older family members, after which the males are expelled and begin an independent life. Maturity occurs at the age of 20 years. Until about 40 years old, elephants are able to perform hard work, after which they are assigned to lighter work in the herd.
Their teeth change three times. When the jaw wears out, elephants age andare slowly dying. As a rule, the life expectancy of elephants is on average 70-80 years. At 65, they are considered "old men" in their herd.
Approximate weight at different ages
The weight of a newborn baby elephant is approximately 80-110 kg. By the age of 20, they finally grow, after which the body weight of the elephant does not change. Knowing that on average adults weigh 6-7 tons, you can calculate how many kilograms of weight are added monthly: approximately 25-30 kg.
Then a month after birth, the baby will weigh 110-140 kg, six months later - from 260 to 290 kg, and a year later - 440-470 kg. Agree, impressive size.
Weight Facts
There are some interesting facts about the size of elephants that will definitely surprise you:
- Asian elephants are the smallest of their kind, but even in females of this species, the stomach holds 76.6 liters. It weighs from 17 to 35 kilograms. In large African elephants, the volume of the stomach exceeds 60 liters, and its mass varies between 36-45 kilograms.
- The liver of a female has the same dimensions. In males, the size of this organ is different: from 59 to 68 kilograms.
- An adult pancreas weighs about two kilograms. Surprising is the fact that there is no information about any diseases that can cause disruption in the work of this body.
- The weight of the heart is on average 0.5% of the weight of a mammal, that is, from 12 to 21 kg.
- Elephants have big brains. Its mass exceeds the weight of the brain of any animals onplanet and reaches 6.5 kilograms.
- As you can already understand, all the organs of elephants are striking in their size. Did you know that the average length of an adult's intestine is 35 meters?
Tusks
Special mention should be made of the tusks. They grow throughout the life of an elephant, so their size determines the approximate age of a mammal. The mass of the largest tusk is 225 kg, and this is documented. In addition, with the help of tusks, you can determine whether this or that individual is right-handed or left-handed. How to do it? Take a closer look at the tusks: the one that looks more worn will point to the correct answer. If you are wondering how much a baby elephant weighs when it is born, then know that the weight of newborn animals is not too large, because they do not yet have tusks.
Trunk
The trunk is a multifunctional organ of the respiratory system. With its help, the animal grabs objects, eats, breathes, smells, makes sounds. The trunk is connected to the upper lip. The length of this organ is 1.5-2 meters, and this is an average value. It can hold a load of 250 kilograms and also hold 7.5 liters of water.
Leather
The expression "thick-skinned as an elephant" is popular. In fact, it is quite justified: the thickness of the skin of an elephant is about 2-4 centimeters. However, this does not mean that the skin protects the mammal from the effects of any external factors. On the contrary, the skin is very sensitive. To create a protective crust, elephantstake mud and dust baths. Thanks to this, they do not burn in the sun.
Ears
Elephants can be recognized not only by their long trunk and gigantic size, but also by their large ears. They are needed by a mammal in order to fan themselves in the heat and create a feeling of coolness. The ears have a well-developed network of blood vessels, which allows elephants to cool the blood, thereby carrying out thermoregulation. But the location of the veins on the surface of the ears is individual for each elephant and is similar to a human fingerprint.
More interesting facts
Next, other, no less interesting facts will be listed. You've already read about how much a baby elephant weighs at birth, but did you know that elephants:
- Considered one of the most intelligent representatives of the animal kingdom.
- Have a good memory. For example, they remember places, important events, and people who treated them well or badly for a long time.
- Of all known animals, only elephants cannot jump.
- Adults get enough sleep for four hours a day.
- Clumsy not at first glance, elephants can reach high speeds, reaching thirty kilometers per hour.
These were amazing facts to know about elephants.
