The Indian elephant begins to breed. How many years does an elephant live? The largest elephant

The Indian elephant is also called the Asian elephant. It belongs to the elephant family. Forms a separate genus of Asian elephants.

The preferred habitat is deciduous and rainforests with dense undergrowth. These animals do not live in the steppe area. This is due to human farming activities. To date, these animals live only in reserves in areas without tall plants and trees. It can climb the wooded cliffs into the mountains to a height of about 3 thousand meters above sea level. This occurs in the northeastern regions of India - in the Eastern Himalayas. These animals are well mastered also in swampy areas and reservoirs with shallow depth.

There are 3 types of Asian elephants: the elephant of Indonesia, or rather Borneo and Sumatra; Indian elephant inhabiting Nepal, Thailand, Laos, India, Bhutan, Vietnam, China; elephant of the island of Sri Lanka. Usually in conversations and publications the term "Indian elephant" is used, meaning by this all Asian elephants.

Indian Elephant Dimensions

Indian elephant big and strong. In terms of weight and size, it is second only to its African counterpart, i.e. among all the mammals of the planet, this animal ranks second in size.

The maximum height of the male is 3.2 meters, females can reach a height of 2.2-2.4 meters. Males can weigh a maximum of 5.5 tons.

Females are smaller, their weight can be up to 2.6 tons. In the total body weight, about 15% is the weight of the skeleton. largest representative kind of lived in India and in 1924 was shot dead. He weighed 8 tons, his body was 8 meters long, the height of the animal was 3.35 meters. Now the body length of these animals varies from 5.5 to 6.6 meters. They have a tail, the length of which is up to 1.5 meters.

Appearance

If we compare the Indian elephant with the African, then the first is more stocky. Has powerful legs. Due to the fact that the soles of the feet expand when in contact with the surface, animals move perfectly on sand and wetlands. The front legs have 5 fingers, the hind legs - 4. The body of elephants is covered with dark gray, almost brown, dry wrinkled skin. Elephants carefully monitor her condition. They love to swim, scratch themselves on the bark and branches of trees, and wallow in the dust.

The body is covered with sparse hard hair, and in young animals it is thicker and darker, almost brown. Compared to the African, the Indian elephant has a different head shape, so the inhabitant of the African continent can be easily distinguished from the inhabitant of India. It has two small bumps on its head. On the sides, the head is slightly compressed. Unlike the African counterpart, the ears of the Indian elephant are small.

The elephant has a trunk, the length of which is 1.5-1.8 meters. These are the muscles that represent the fused upper lip and nose. The trunk easily holds a whole bucket of water. At the end it has one finger-like process, while the African elephant has two.

The tusks are huge fangs. The females of this animal do not have tusks. Sometimes males do not have tusks. This is usually characteristic of representatives of the population of Sri Lanka. The maximum length of the tusks is 1.6 meters. Them Weight Limit can be 25 kg. For comparison: an African elephant's tusks can be 2.5 meters long and weigh 45 kg. The largest recorded length of the tusks of an Asian elephant was 1.8 meters, their weight was 40 kg. The animal has 4 molars, which change 4 times during life. Milk teeth fall out at 15-16, molars grow, then they change at an interval of 12 years. When the last molars wear out, the elephant dies of hunger. Life span in wild nature- 60-65 years, in some cases - 70 years. Under certain conditions, an animal can live 80 years.

Behavior and nutrition of the Indian elephant

Indian elephants live in groups consisting of mature females, their daughters and offspring. The head of such a group is an adult female. The number of the herd is 10-20 animals. Previously, groups were much more numerous, until man began to actively and often invade wildlife. Males create separate groups, but these herds are unstable, they can break up, then unite again, but already include new males. It is often possible to see that an adult male is present in a group of females. However, he is not a full member of this herd.

Listen to the voice of an Indian elephant

The basis of the diet of Indian elephants is plant foods. This animal eats leaves, grass, bananas, tree bark, roots and sugar cane. It can enter farmlands in search of food, which causes a negative attitude of people.

These animals feed on one site for only a few days, then move on to the next. This is due to the fact that these animals eat a lot and the vegetation around them is eaten quickly. Each herd has its own territory, its area is approximately 30-40 sq. km. Elephants do not enter other people's possessions. They have excellent hearing and a keen sense of smell, but their eyesight is poor. The Indian elephant has a very high level intelligence, in this he is second only to a dolphin. Elephants have a developed sense of mutual assistance.

reproduction

Males become sexually mature at 12-15 years. From that moment on, every year they have a state called mast or must (English musth). During this period, they increase the level of the sex hormone testosterone, its concentration increases by almost 100 times. This period lasts 2 months. At this time, males are aggressive, practically do not eat and spend all their time looking for a female ready for breeding. In the African elephant, the must passes calmly, without such manifestations. Once an Asian elephant has found a suitable female, it engages in combat with other males. And only by defeating all rivals, he achieves her location. It lasts about 20 days.

The duration of pregnancy is 18-22 months. Usually one baby elephant is born, in rare cases - two. The weight of a newborn is 100 kg, it reaches a height of 1 meter. The female feeds the cub with milk for 2 years. Females become sexually mature at 10-12 years of age. Young females spend their whole lives next to their mother, and males leave the herd at the age of 8-12 years.

Indian elephant and man

This animal has almost no enemies in the wild, only and represent a certain danger. In ancient times, elephants were enemies, but now they are practically never found in the wild. A small population of these lions remained only in the northwestern part of India in the Gir reserve. On the this moment these predators do not pose a threat to elephants.

These animals have been tamed by humans for centuries. They were used by the army for movement and transportation of weapons, they took part in rituals. Every ruler of India had elephants at his palace, which demonstrated his power and wealth. Elephants have found use in heavy construction work. These animals are smart and quick-witted, and also take root well in captivity.

AT last years in India, powerful mechanisms and tools are used everywhere at construction sites, so elephants are no longer involved in these works. Human agricultural activities, namely plowing of land and the expansion of farmlands, negatively affect the population. Now in Asia, the number of Indian elephants is up to 50 thousand individuals. People shoot these animals because they harm their lands and simply interfere with a normal life. Reduces population and shooting for tusks. In 1986, this animal was listed in the International Red Book. Now there is a constant decline in the number of elephants by 2-3% annually.

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Elephants' feet are also wonderfully arranged: under the skin on the sole there is a special springy jelly-like mass that allows you to step almost silently. In addition, when the animal leans on the leg, then the sole expands, as if swelling and thereby increasing the supporting surface. But as soon as the elephant unloads the leg, the sole takes its original shape. Therefore, elephants easily overcome swampy swamps and do not get stuck at all, even up to their belly, plunging into a bog.

The body of Indian elephants is covered with wrinkled thick dark gray skin. The thickness of the skin in these animals reaches 2.5 cm, but is very thin around the mouth and on the inside of the ears. The skin does not have sweat glands, it is dry, so caring for it takes a significant part of the life of elephants. Taking mud baths, they protect themselves from sunburn, insect bites and fluid loss. Dust baths, tree scratching and bathing also play an additional role in skin hygiene.

Most often, Indian elephants are kept in family groups of up to 20 individuals, but there are herds of more than 100 heads, as well as loners. Adult males in herds make up 30%, females - about 50% and young elephants - 20%. In each such herd there is an experienced old female, to whom the rest of the animals strictly obey.

Indian elephants to a much greater extent than African ones, forest dwellers. At the same time, they prefer light forests with dense undergrowth of bamboo and shrubs. In summer, elephants climb the wooded slopes quite high into the mountains, and in the Himalayas they can be found near the border of eternal snows.

Indian elephants spend almost 20 hours a day feeding and searching for food and are strict vegetarians. Only during the hottest time of the day do elephants take shelter in the shade of trees to avoid overheating. The basis of the food of elephants is grass; in smaller quantities they eat roots, leaves and flowers different plants, bark and fruits. The amount of food eaten daily by elephants is 150 - 300 kg of various vegetation. Animals pluck long grass and leaves with a flexible trunk; and if the grass is short, they first loosen the soil with kicks. From the trees, the bark is scraped off with molars, holding the branches with the trunk. Indian elephants are happy to ruin agricultural crops, planting bananas and sugar cane. Due to the huge amount of food they eat, they rarely feed in one place for more than 2-3 days.

Reproduction of Indian elephants occurs at various times of the year. During the mating season, males skin gland, which is located between the eye and ear, a black secret is released, and the animals themselves at this time are very excited. In India, this state of males is called must. Pregnancy in females lasts 605-640 days; one, very rarely two cubs are born, weighing about 90 kg. At the age of 8-12, baby elephants reach sexual maturity, and Indian elephants live for about 60-70 years.

Indian or Asian elephant (lat. Elephas maximus) takes honorary second place among the largest land animals. The growth of this giant is 2.5-3.5 m with a body weight of 2.7 tons (females) to 5.4 tons (males). The length of an adult elephant reaches 5.4-6.4 m, and the tail - 120-150 cm.

The physique of the Indian elephant is more massive than that of its African counterpart. It has relatively short and thick legs. There are five hooves on the front limbs, and four on the hind limbs. The powerful body is reliably protected by strong wrinkled skin, the average thickness of which is 2.5 cm. The most delicate and vulnerable areas are on the inside of the ears and around the mouth.

The color of Asian elephants varies from dark gray to brown. Extremely rare are albino elephants, which are highly valued in Siam and even serve as an object of worship there. Their main feature is bright skin with even lighter spots and pale yellow eyes. Some specimens had a pale red-brown coloration with white hairs on the back.

A distinctive feature of the Asian elephant are small ears in the shape of an irregular quadrangle. Their tusks are two or even three times smaller than those of African elephants. In some subspecies, only males have them, while in Sri Lankan they are completely absent. This saved the Indian elephant from insatiable poachers, who caused significant damage to the elephant population in Africa.

Wild Asian elephants are found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, as well as in Brunei. They live in national parks, nature reserves and remote areas. Since elephants willingly destroy plantations of rice, sugarcane and bananas, they are considered pests. Agriculture and are carefully ousted from the "cultural" areas.

It's hard to believe, but Indian elephants are very agile animals with an amazing sense of balance. Despite their size, they willingly climb the wooded slopes of the mountains to a height of up to 3.6 thousand meters (to the border of eternal snow in the Himalayas). The structure of the sole allows them to travel through swampy areas without fear, although from time to time they test the reliability of the soil under their feet with powerful blows with their trunk.

Female Asian elephants live in small groups of 2-10 adults and their young. different ages. "Commands" all the most adult female, who cares about the safety of all members of the herd.

Elephants often help each other out: for example, when one of them comes to the time of childbirth, all the others surround her in a dense ring and do not disperse until the baby is born and stands on her legs - this is how they protect the mother and her cub from predators. In addition, a young elephant, although it adheres to its mother, can “snack” from any other lactating female in the herd.

At the age of 10-16 years, young males leave their mother forever and begin to live alone, while females remain in their own herd for life. Generally, life cycle elephants are similar to humans: at 12-16 years old, young animals become capable of reproducing offspring, but they reach adult sizes only by the age of 20.

Elephants have a life expectancy of 60-80 years. Interestingly, in the wild, they do not die from disease (this rarely happens), but from hunger. The fact is that chewing teeth in elephants are replaced only 4 times during their life. After 40 years, new teeth no longer grow, and old ones gradually wear out. By the age of 70, they become unsuitable for chewing and the elephant loses the ability to eat.

Elephants are large mammals, which include two species: African and Indian. Previously, Mammoths lived on Earth (died out in ice Age) and mastodons (died out during the appearance of the first man on the North American mainland). In the article we will answer the question: "Where do elephants live?" and consider their habitat and habits.

Differences between Indian and African elephants

Despite the apparent absolute similarity in Indian and African elephants, there are many differences. Let's consider them in more detail.

1. African elephants are larger and heavier than their Indian relatives. The height of an adult animal living in Africa reaches 3.7 meters, and its weight is 6.5 tons. For comparison, in Indian relatives, these figures are at the level of 3.5 meters and 5 tons.
2. African elephants have larger ears, through the thin skin of which the veins are clearly visible. It is noteworthy that for each individual, the pattern of veins on the ears is individual, like fingerprints in humans.
3. Distinctive feature African elephants are considered to have long, strong tusks for each animal, regardless of gender. In Indian elephants, only males have such an ornament. Tusks grow throughout life and act as an indicator of age.
4. The Indian elephant is calmer. Thanks to simple training, he becomes a reliable assistant to a person. He is trained to transport trees, stack planks, or retrieve items from rivers.

That's not all Interesting Facts about these animals. The following information will be useful to schoolchildren who want to get the maximum score for the exam. Among the elephants there are "left-handers" and "right-handers". Belonging to a certain category is determined by which tusk is shorter. These animals work with one tusk, as a result of which it wears out faster.

Elephant bone is expensive as an ornamental base, so they often die at the hands of poachers. Now the trade in ivory has been banned, but still, a hundred of these amazing animals die every year due to human fault.

Elephants have 4 molars. The weight of each tooth the size of a brick reaches 2-3 kilograms. Animals change their molars 6 times during their life. With age, the sensitivity of the teeth increases, which forces the animals to stay closer to the swampy area with soft vegetation.

An elephant differs from other animals in its impressive body weight, design, behavior and presence long nose. The trunk is the connection of the upper lip and nose, with which he takes a shower, breathes, sniffs, drinks and makes sounds. With this organ, containing 100 thousand muscles, the animal takes objects weighing up to a ton and carries tens of kilometers.

Elephant habitat and habits

The African giant lives in the steppes of Africa and Egypt. Indian individuals live in India, Ceylon, Indochina, Burma.

• Elephants live in herds of up to 50 individuals who are bound by norms of behavior. Some live separately, as they are more likely to show aggression and are dangerous.
• There is a friendly atmosphere in the herd, relatives take care of the offspring, support each other.
• These are socially developed animals. They can show emotions and remember things, places, and people.

Elephants eat 130 kg of food per day (leaves, bark, fruits) and spend most of their time looking for it. Sleep no more than 4 hours a day. Animals are often near rivers or lakes and drink 200 liters of water per day. The elephant is a good swimmer and easily swims great distances regardless of body weight.

The giant has a massive skeleton, accounting for 15% of its body weight. The skin cover reaches a thickness of 25 mm and is shrouded in sparse hairs. On average, an elephant lives 70 years. He does not know how to jump, but accelerates the speed of running up to 30 km per hour.

The female carries the baby for 88 weeks. This is an animal record. An elephant calf is born every four years with a weight of about 90 kg and a height of about a meter. The birth of a baby is important for the members of the herd.

These mammals have a clear language of communication. When the elephant is depressed or aggressive, the ears become spread. For protection, tusks, a trunk and massive legs are used. At the moment of danger or fright, the animal squeals and, running away, literally demolishes everything in its path.

Where do elephants live in captivity?

Elephants are present in almost every zoo. No wonder, because they are of particular interest to the public. But sometimes even well-known zoos, due to the lack of a suitable place for keeping, refuse these animals.

In a confined space, elephants suffer from boredom. AT natural environment they spend a lot of time looking for and absorbing food. In a small paddock, you can’t wander around enough, but not a large number of individuals leads to disruption social contacts.

European zoos are trying to provide elephants with spacious paddocks for walking. Less complaisant males, who are dangerous in a state of unrest, are allocated additional space. Some zoos provide pens for females with offspring. This allows members of a small herd to get acquainted with the replenishment.

Of great importance in breeding elephants is the diversity of walking. Large elephant enclosures equip the enclosures so that the animals move freely. Such conditions are more suitable for successful breeding in captivity.

Elephants are socially developed mammals. For many reasons, this species is on the verge of extinction. Animals need protection and protection. This fact found a lot positive feedback among scientists and officials. Reserves are being actively created where animals live under protection. The territory of such complexes should correspond to the usual habitat. At the moment, several reserves meet these requirements, including:

1. national park Bandipur, India.
2. Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
3. Elephant Sanctuary in Knysna, South Africa.
4. Elephant Sanctuary Kuala Gandah, Malaysia.
5. Elephant Safari Park, Bali.

Each of these places is ideal for an entertaining summer holiday.

people harm environment, therefore, many species of animals are dying out, but there is hope that one of the largest mammals - elephants will continue to live not only in captivity, but also in their native environment. The task of a person is to help children to enjoy the greatness of these animals in the expanses of the savannah and forests.

The largest land mammal is the elephant.

Elephant - description and characteristics

The majestic animal has practically no enemies and does not attack anyone itself, being a herbivore. Today they can be found in the wild, in national parks and reserves, in circuses and zoos, and there are also domesticated individuals. Much is known about them: how many years elephants live, what elephants eat, how long an elephant's pregnancy lasts. And yet the secrets remain.

This animal cannot be confused with any other, since hardly any of the land mammals can boast of such dimensions. The height of this giant can reach up to 4.5 meters, and weight - up to 7 tons. The largest is the African savannah giant. Indian counterparts are somewhat lighter: weight up to 5.5 tons for males and 4.5 for females. Forest elephants are considered the lightest - up to 3 tons. In nature, there are also dwarf varieties that do not reach even 1 ton.

The elephant's skeleton is strong and can withstand such an impressive weight. The body is massive and muscular.

The head of the animal is large, with a protruding frontal zone. The adornment is his mobile ears, which perform the function of a heat regulator and a means of communication between fellow tribesmen. When attacking a herd, animals begin to actively move their ears, scaring off enemies.

The legs are also unique. Contrary to popular belief that animals are noisy and clumsy, these giants walk almost silently. There are thick fat pads on the feet that soften the step. A distinctive feature is the ability to bend the knees, the animal has two kneecaps.

Animals have a small tail ending in a non-fluffy tassel. Usually the cub holds on to it so as not to lag behind the mother.

A distinctive feature is the elephant's trunk, the mass of which in an elephant can reach up to 200 kg. This organ is a fused nose and upper lip. Consisting of over 100,000 strong muscles and tendons, the elephant's trunk has incredible flexibility and strength. They tear off the vegetation and send it to their mouths. Also, the elephant's trunk is a weapon with which he defends himself and fights with an opponent.

Through the trunk, the giants also draw in water, which is then sent to the mouth or poured over. Elephants up to a year have little control of their proboscis. For example, they cannot drink with it, but kneel down and drink with their mouths. But they hold onto their mother's tail tightly with their trunk from the first hours of their lives.

Elephant vision and hearing

Relative to the size of the animal, the eyes are small, and these giants do not differ in sharp vision. But they have excellent hearing and are able to recognize sounds even at very low frequencies.

It is believed that animals hear thunder at a distance of up to 100 km and can accurately find water at a great distance by noise.

Leather

The body of a large mammal is covered with thick gray or brown skin, dotted with many wrinkles and folds. A rare hard bristle on it is observed only in cubs. In adults, it is practically absent.

The color of the animal directly depends on the habitat, since elephants often, protecting themselves from insects, sprinkle themselves with earth and clay. Therefore, some representatives appear brown and even pink.

Among the giants is very rare, but still there are albinos. Such animals in Siam are considered cult. White elephants were taken especially for the royal families.

Jaws

The giant's decoration is his tusks: the older the animal, the longer they are. But not all of them are the same size. The Asian female elephant, for example, is completely devoid of such ornaments by nature, as well as rare males. The tusks enter the jaws and are considered incisors.

How many years an elephant lives can be recognized by its teeth, which wear down over the years, but at the same time new ones appear, growing behind the old ones. It is known how many teeth an elephant has in its mouth. As a rule, 4 indigenous.

It was the tusks of these giants that were highly valued, which led to the cruel extermination of the proboscis. Now hunting is strictly prohibited: the animal is listed in the Red Book. And the places where the elephant lives are declared nature reserves.

Indian elephant and African elephant have external differences, we will talk about them in the sequel.

Elephant species

Nowadays, there are only two types of proboscis: the African elephant and the Indian elephant (otherwise it is called the Asian elephant). African, in turn, are divided into savannas living along the equator (the most major representatives- up to 4.5 m in height and 7 tons of weight) and forest (its subspecies are dwarf and marsh), which prefer to live in tropical forests.

Despite the undeniable similarities of these animals, they still have a number of differences.

• It is very simple to answer the question which elephant is larger in size and mass: Indian or African. The one that lives in Africa: individuals weigh 1.5-2 tons more, and much higher.
• The Asian female elephant does not have tusks, while African ones have them in all individuals.
• The species differ slightly in the shape of the body: in Asians, the back is higher relative to the level of the head.
• African animal is different big size ears.
• The trunks of African giants are somewhat thinner.
• By its nature, the Indian elephant is more prone to domestication; it is almost impossible to tame its African counterpart.

It is Asian animals that are often accepted into circuses for their obedience and good disposition. Basically, these are rescued from poachers, sick and abandoned cubs.

When crossing the African and Indian proboscis, the offspring does not work out, which indicates differences at the genetic level.

The life expectancy of an elephant depends on living conditions, the availability of sufficient food and water. It is believed that the African elephant lives somewhat longer than its counterpart.

Ancient relatives of the proboscis appeared on earth approximately 65 million years ago, in the Paleocene era. Dinosaurs were still walking the planet at that time.

Scientists have found that the first representatives lived on the territory of modern Egypt and looked more like a tapir. There is another theory according to which the current giants descended from some animal that lived in Africa and almost all of Eurasia.

Studies that reveal how many years an elephant lives on our planet indicate the existence of its ancestors.

• Deinotherium. Appeared approximately 58 million years ago and died out 2.5 million years ago. Outwardly, they were similar to modern animals, but were noted for their smaller size and shorter trunk.
• Gomphotheria. Appeared on earth about 37 million years ago and died out 10 thousand years ago. Their body resembled the current long-nosed giants, but they had 4 small tusks, twisted up and down in pairs, and a flat jaw. At some stage of development, the tusks of these animals became much larger.
• Mamutids (mastodons). Appeared 10-12 million years ago. They had dense hair on their bodies, long tusks and a trunk. They died out 18 thousand years ago, with the advent of primitive people.
• Mammoths. The first representatives of elephants. Appeared from mastodons approximately 1.6 million years ago. They died out about 10 thousand years ago. They were slightly taller than modern animals, the body is covered with long and dense hair, they had large tusks down.

Mammoths belong to the same order of elephants as modern giants.

The African elephant and the Indian elephant are the only representatives of the proboscis order that exist on Earth.

Where do elephants live?

African elephant dwells south of the desert Sahara, in the territory of many African countries: Congo, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan and others. Enough hot climate the places where the elephant lives are to his liking. More often they choose savannas, where there is enough vegetation and water can be found. Animals practically do not enter deserts and impenetrable tropical forests.

AT recent times the habitat of the giants has shrunk. The places where the elephant lives are turned into national reserves in order to preserve the population of these animals, protecting them from poachers.

But the Indian elephant, on the contrary, prefers the wooded areas of India, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Laos and Sri Lanka. He feels comfortable among dense shrubs and in bamboo thickets. Once this Asian elephant lived in almost all areas of southern Asia, but now the populations have been greatly reduced.

The Indian elephant can live even in remote jungles. It is in this area that most of the wild individuals have been preserved. But it can be quite difficult to determine how many years an elephant lives.

The lifespan of an elephant in the wild is much shorter than that of its domesticated counterparts or those that live in zoos or national reserves. This is due to the difficult conditions of the places where the elephant lives, with diseases and the cruel extermination of giants.

Scientists are still arguing how long a wild elephant lives and what is the duration of their life in captivity.

Undoubtedly, how many years an elephant lives determines the species to which the mammal belongs. African savannahs live the longest: among them there are individuals whose age reached 80 years. Forest African proboscideans are somewhat smaller - 65-70 years old. An Asian elephant at home or in zoos and national parks can live 55-60 years; in the natural environment, animals that have reached the age of 50 are considered centenarians.

How long elephants live depends on the care of the animal. A wounded and sick beast will not be able to live long. Sometimes even minor damage to the trunk or foot causes death. Under human supervision, many diseases of giants are easily treated, which can significantly prolong life.

In the natural environment, animals have practically no enemies. Predatory beasts attack only stray cubs and sick individuals.

Being herbivores, proboscideans spend more than 15 hours a day in search of food. To maintain their huge body mass, they have to eat from 40 to 400 kg of vegetation per day.

What elephants eat directly depends on their habitat: it can be grass, leaves, young shoots. The elephant's trunk rips them off and sends them to the mouth, where the food is carefully ground.

In captivity, an elephant eats hay (up to 20 kg per day), vegetables, especially carrots and cabbage, a variety of fruits, and grains.

How many years an elephant lives depends on what elephants eat. Zoo visitors often feed animals with contraindicated food. Sweets are strictly forbidden to huge mammals.

Sometimes wild animals wander into the fields local residents and gladly eat the harvest of corn, cane, cereals.

Animals are very social: they unite in herds, headed by the oldest and most experienced female. She leads her relatives to food places, keeps order.

Scientists have come to interesting conclusions. All individuals are relatives. As a rule, these are females and immature males. Adult boys leave their family and often live alone or in the company of the same bachelors. They approach family herds only when they are ready to have offspring and at the call of females.

Animals have very developed family instincts: each has its own role. The whole family is involved in raising children. In the event of an attack by predators, elephants are surrounded by a dense ring and drive away enemies. Unfortunately, how many years an elephant lives depends on whether the family was able to keep all their offspring. Babies quite often die from diseases, weakness and from attacks by predators (lions, cheetahs, hyenas, crocodiles).

Giants require large amounts of water to survive. They can drink up to 200 liters per day, so animals try to stay close to water bodies. In dry times, they know how to dig wells, which saves not only themselves, but also many other animals.

Elephant mammals are very peaceful animals. Cases of their attacks on other animals are extremely rare. They can suffer from them only when the giants, frightened by something, trample down those who get in their way.

Before death, old animals go to a certain place, the “elephant cemetery”, where many relatives died, and spend their lives there. last days. The rest of the family see them off and say goodbye very touchingly.

Animals become sexually mature in different ways: males at the age of 14-15 years, females - 12-13.

Sometimes this age may vary depending on the amount of food and health status.

Several suitors come to the call of the female and her smell, they sometimes arrange fights, during which it is determined which male will remain. The elephant watches the challengers and after the end of the battle leaves with the winner. Elephant mating takes place at a distance from the herd, after which the couple can walk together for several more days. Then the male leaves, and the female returns to her family.

It is quite interesting how many pregnant elephants walk. Elephants bear their cubs for a long time: 22-24 months. The gestation period of an elephant is counted from the moment of mating. Pregnant females live with their herd, and males never appear nearby.

Compared to other mammals, elephant pregnancy lasts a record time: they bear cubs for almost two years. The large size of the females sometimes does not allow you to immediately see their interesting position, so you can only calculate how many elephants have already been carrying their cubs from the moment of mating.

The pregnancy of an elephant usually ends with the birth of one, less often two elephants, which weigh up to a centner. Future mom departs from the herd accompanied by an experienced female and gives birth to a baby, who after 2-3 hours can stand on his feet and suck milk. The newly-made mother returns to her herd with a baby elephant holding on to her tail.

Elephants bear their cubs for a very long time, so their populations, subject to cruel extermination, for a long time were in danger of extinction.

How many years a male elephant lives in a herd is determined by the onset of puberty. Young males leave families and live alone. But the females remain in the herd until the end of their days.

Among elephants, as among people, there are left-handers and right-handers. You can understand this by the tusks: the tusk will be longer on the side with which it works more often.

• These majestic animals are often found on the coats of arms of states (Congo, India). The image of a giant mammal was also on the family coat of arms of the famous great-grandfather of A. S. Pushkin, Abram Gannibal.
• Elephants are so dexterous with their trunk that they can easily pick up a tiny or fragile object from the ground and not spoil it. With the same trunk they will convey to right place felled tree.
• Some giants paint pictures that have a very high price.
• Injury to the trunk most often leads to the death of the animal.
• Elephants love to swim and swim fast enough.
• The usual speed of the giant when walking is 4-5 km / h, but when running, it reaches speeds of up to 50 km / h.
• The story that elephants are afraid of mice is pure fiction. Rodents do not make any holes in the feet, and even more so they cannot eat the giant from the inside. But animals won't touch food if mice run over it. Therefore, to say that elephants are afraid of mice is wrong; rather, they disdain them.

In some countries, these animals are considered sacred. Murder is even punishable by death.