Elephant
Height: 3 m
Mass : Up to 7000 kg
Gestation: 22 months - single calf
Duration of life: 55 to 70 years
Elephants spend between 16 - 18 hours per day eating and adults eat between 181 to 270 kg of fodder per day. Sometimes they dig up termite hills and eat the soil, probably for the sodium content.
Found in groups of up to 50 and more. They have a highly social developed structure and are led by a 'matriarch', the most experienced cow. This cow elephant is by natural selection. Bulls leave the family unit at puberty which is between 10-12 years and are driven out by the older cows.
Elephants are dependant on water although they can go for a number of days without it. They cover great distances in their search for water. Their tusks are used in stripping and gouging bark and in digging. Their forelegs are also used for digging out roots, for scuffing bark and for digging shallow water holes.
Their trunk is a highly sensitive organ, it is the elephants lifeline which is being used for smelling, food gathering, drinking and as a weapon. Water is drawn up through their trunk (as much as 100 litres). Often the elephant may be standing next to water and they will be digging next to it. The reason for this being that they prefer sweeter, fresh fluid. Also water with a high sodium content. According to Dr. Anthony Hall-Martin, elephants can withdraw water from its stomach. But this happens occasionally. The water is then squirted over the body to cool it, especially when they are pursued by hunters. They are extremely fond of bathing and wallowing in water and mud.
Elephants have been observed in the Kruger National Park browsing from no less than 70 different species of trees. Elephants are most cautious in muddy conditions. Babies often fall flat onto their faces and slither about. They therefore avoid low-lying muddy areas during heavy rain. No gradient is too steep for an elephant or surface too stony. Their paths are sometimes like worn vehicle tracks as they follow each other in single file. Elephant track was once recorded as being 80cm long and 58cm wide.
Solitary bulls and small group bulls often walk along a road pushing trees over and tearing branches, they seem to enjoy an easy walk along the road, while at the same time indulging in the destruction of trees on the roadside. But a tree is most often pushed down in order to reach the leaves at the top.
In it's lifetime, the elephant has six sets of molars which, when worn, are replaced and pushed out from behind. You tell an elephant's life span by his teeth. Their tusks grow continuously throughout their life. The female tusks occasionally grow fairly long and slender whilst the males continue to thicken as they lengthen. Record length of tusks found were 3,384 m which belonged to an elephant shot in East Africa. The Kruger Park record for tusks were 2,51 m.
They can run about 40 km/h over a short distance. To distinguish between a cow and a bull, the cow's head shows a bit of an angle whilst that of the bull is rounded.
Their sense of smell and hearing are well developed but cannot see very well. But, don't underestimate their visual powers. An elephants brain is four times the size of a human. Taking the size of the animal into consideration, this means that the human has, percentage wise, fifteen more times more brain matter than the elephant. They have a good memory.
An elephant with a body mass of 5 000 kg can possess a heart of 25 kg. Elephants do have a tongue and this can be a mass of about 12 kg. It is, however, not protrudeable like that of an antelope.
How do elephants mate? In much the same way as cattle and most other animals. The mother elephant has two teats, situated between the front legs. The cow gives birth standing upright, but the calf does not fall far due to the low position of the birth canal. Size of new born calf is about 120 kg.
Elephants have no enemies, except man. A very small stray calf could fall prey to predators, but calves very seldom get separated from their mothers.
You are critter number
Please take a few minutes to sign
the guestbook so that I know you came by.
Sign Guestbook View Guestbook
[Home] [About Me] [Links]
[Index] [Webrings] [Trip to KNP]
[Guest-Sign] [Guest-View] [Email]
Webpage by D Morningstar