The biggest elephant ever. Elephants in the animal world: unique photos, interesting facts

The elephant is the largest land animal of the class mammals, such as chordates, the proboscis order, the elephant family (Elephantidae).

Elephant - description, characteristics and photo

Elephants are giants among animals. The height of the elephant is 2 - 4 m. The weight of the elephant is from 3 to 7 tons. Elephants in Africa, especially savannas, often weigh up to 10-12 tons. The powerful body of an elephant is covered with thick (up to 2.5 cm) brown or gray skin with deep wrinkles. Elephant cubs are born with sparse bristles, adults are practically devoid of vegetation.

The head of the animal is quite large with ears of noteworthy size. Elephant ears have a fairly large surface, they are thick at the base with thin edges, as a rule, they are a good regulator of heat exchange. Fanning the ears allows the animal to increase the cooling effect. An elephant's foot has 2 kneecaps.

This structure makes the elephant the only mammal that cannot jump. In the center of the foot is a fat cushion that springs up with every step, which allows these powerful animals to move almost silently.

The elephant's trunk is an amazing and unique organ formed by a fused nose and upper lip. Tendons and over 100,000 muscles make him strong and flexible. The trunk performs a number of important functions, at the same time providing the animal with breathing, smelling, touching and grabbing food. Through the trunk, elephants protect themselves, water themselves, eat, communicate and even raise their offspring. Another "attribute" of appearance is the tusks of an elephant. They grow throughout life: the more powerful the tusks, the older their owner.

The tail of an elephant is about the same length as the hind legs. The tip of the tail is framed by coarse hair that helps to repel insects. The voice of an elephant is specific. The sounds that an adult animal makes are called boars, lowing, whispering and roaring of an elephant. The life expectancy of an elephant is approximately 70 years.

Elephants can swim very well and love water procedures, and their average speed movement on land reaches 3-6 km / h.

When running for short distances, the speed of an elephant sometimes increases to 50 km / h.

Elephant species

In the family of living elephants, there are three main species belonging to two genera:

genus African elephants(Loxodonta) are divided into 2 types:
- bush elephant(Loxodonta africana)

is different giant size, dark color, developed tusks and two processes at the end of the trunk. It lives along the equator throughout Africa;

African Elephant (Savanna Elephant)

- forest elephant(Loxodonta cyclotis)

has a small stature (up to 2.5 m at the withers) and about round shape ears. This type of elephant is common in tropical African forests.

Species often interbreed and produce quite viable offspring.

Genus indian(Asian) elephants ( Elephas) includes one species - Indian elephant ( Elephas maximus)

It is smaller than the Savannah but has a more powerful build and short legs. Color - from brown to dark gray. A distinctive feature of this species of elephants is small quadrangular auricles and one process at the end of the trunk. The Indian or Asian elephant is common in tropical and subtropical forests India, China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Indian elephant

Where and how do elephants live?

African elephants live almost throughout hot Africa: in Namibia and Senegal, in Kenya and Zimbabwe, in Guinea and the Republic of the Congo, in Sudan and South Africa, elephants in Zambia and Somalia feel great. The main part of the livestock, unfortunately, is forced to live in national reserves so as not to become the prey of barbarian poachers. The elephant lives on any landscape, but tries to avoid the desert zone and too dense tropical forests, preferring the savannah zone.

Indian elephants live in the northeast and south of India, in Thailand, China and on the island of Sri Lanka, they live in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia. Unlike their counterparts from the African continent, Indian elephants like to settle in wooded area, preferring bamboo thickets of the tropics and dense shrubs.

For about 16 hours a day, elephants are busy absorbing food, while eating about 300 kg of vegetation with appetite. The elephant eats grass (including cattail, papyrus in Africa), rhizomes, bark and leaves of trees (such as ficus in India), the fruits of wild bananas, apples, marula and even coffee. The diet of an elephant depends on the habitat, as in Africa and India grow different trees and herbs. These animals do not bypass agricultural plantations, causing significant damage to crops of corn, sweet potato and other crops with their visits. Their tusks and trunk help them get food, and their molars help them chew. Elephant teeth change as they grind down.

In the zoo, elephants are fed hay and greens (in in large numbers), and also give animals vegetables, fruits, root crops: cabbage, apples, pears, carrots, beets, watermelons, boiled potatoes, oats, bran, willow branches, bread, as well as favorite treat elephants bananas and other crops. Per day in wild nature an elephant eats about 250-300 kg of food. In captivity, elephant food intake is as follows: about 10 kg of vegetables, 30 kg of hay and 10 kg of bread.

Adult individuals are well-known "water drinkers". An elephant drinks about 100-300 liters of water per day, so these animals are almost always near water bodies.

elephant breeding

Elephants form family herds (9-12 individuals), including a mature leader, her sisters, daughters and immature males. The female elephant is a hierarchical link in the family, she matures by the age of 12, at 16 she is ready to bear offspring. Sexually mature males leave the herd at the age of 15-20 years (African at 25) and become solitary. Every year, males fall into an aggressive state caused by an increase in testosterone, lasting about 2 months, so quite serious clashes between clans are not uncommon, ending in injuries and mutilations. True, this fact has its plus: competition with experienced counterparts stops young male elephants from mating early.

Elephant breeding occurs regardless of the season. The male elephant approaches the herd when he feels the female is ready to mate. Loyal among themselves in normal times, the males arrange mating fights, as a result of which the winner is admitted to the female. An elephant's pregnancy lasts 20-22 months. The birth of an elephant takes place in a society that is created by the females of the herd, surrounding and protecting the woman in labor from accidental danger.

Usually one baby elephant weighing about a centner is born, sometimes there are twins. After 2 hours, the newborn baby elephant stands up and sucks mother's milk with pleasure. After a few days, the cub easily travels with its relatives, grabbing the mother's tail with its trunk. Milk feeding lasts up to 1.5-2 years, and all lactating females participate in the process. By 6-7 months, vegetable food is added to milk.

Why are elephants afraid of mice?

Many people know about the subconscious fear that giant elephants allegedly have for small representatives of the rodent family - mice. But not everyone knows that this fact is, most likely, a myth. There is a legend according to which in ancient times there were so many mice that they dared to attack the elephant's legs, gnawed the limbs of animals almost to the bone and equipped minks there. That is why since then elephants began to sleep not lying down, but standing up. There is little logic in this, because many animals sleep standing up, for example, horses, which are not at all afraid of mice. But to assume that a rodent can climb into the trunk of a lying elephant and block the access of air to it, which would lead to the death of an elephant - much more likely, especially since several such cases have been recorded.

There is another theory, a little funny, but still: mice, climbing an elephant, strongly tickle the giant with their tenacious paws, from which the elephant feels a constant need to itch, and it is quite difficult for him to do this. However, all such assumptions were debunked by scientists: they were convinced that elephants are absolutely indifferent to mice, peacefully coexist with them in zoo enclosures, allowing tiny rodents to feast on the remnants of their meal, and are not at all afraid of them.

Why does an elephant have a long nose?

Trunk - the most spectacular distinguishing feature elephant. Reaching a length of about 1.5 meters and having a weight of 130-150 kg, this part of the body is simply necessary for an animal, just like a person’s hands, nose or tongue.

The ancestors of elephants, who lived in the distant past in the swamps, had a very small proboscis, which allowed them to breathe under the water.

Millions of years of evolution forced the ancient predecessor of the elephant to leave the swampy area, enormously increased the animal in size, as a result of which the elephant's trunk also had to adapt to new conditions of existence.

With its trunk, the elephant lifts and carries weights, plucks juicy bananas from palm trees and puts them in his mouth, as if with a load of water from a lake or river and arranges a shower for himself during the scorching heat, makes loud trumpeting sounds, catches smells, helps himself to drink, pouring water into mouth.

Surprisingly, to be able to use the trunk as a multifunctional tool is a rather complicated science that little elephants do not master right away: often babies even step on their trunk, so caring mother elephants patiently, for several months, teach their children the art of using this necessary “process” .

Among the elephants there are right-handers and left-handers, which affects the greater use of one of the tusks.
The special structure of the hearing aid allows elephants to communicate with each other at low frequencies, covering vast distances.
An elephant is an animal that does not sweat because it lacks sebaceous glands. Water treatments, mud baths and ear fanning help to lower body temperature.
Elephants are easily tamed and trainable. In ancient times, they were an excellent work force and fighting animals. Today, elephants are used as a means of transportation in impassable places.
Adult elephants are practically invulnerable, lions and crocodiles are a danger to small elephants. The only enemy of elephants is a man who ruthlessly exterminates animals for meat, skin and bones. Barbaric fishing has led to a sharp reduction in the population of elephants, the impossibility seasonal migrations and limited the habitat to nature reserves and national parks.
Domesticated elephants are quite good-natured and patient with the mistreatment of negligent owners. The tendency to emotional experiences and prolonged stress can lead to a nervous breakdown, when the elephant goes berserk and destroys everything in its reach.
Elephants are among the most intelligent mammals on the planet. Excellent memory allows them to remember the wrongs caused by people and the places of important events. Emotional animals are able to rejoice, be sad, suffer and empathize with their loved ones.

Elephants are the largest land animals. These amazing animals have a powerful trunk with which they do almost everything. Here are some interesting facts about elephants.

So the most Interesting Facts about elephants:

Like dolphins, elephants can easily communicate with each other using low-frequency signals and noises that the human ear cannot recognize.

An elephant's heart can weigh up to 30 kg, but because it's so big, it only beats about 30 times per minute.

September 22 is the official day for the protection of elephants.

As a rule, elephants live no more than 70 years, although among them there are centenarians.

Elephants carry their young for 22 months, which is the longest gestation of any land creature.

Elephants cannot jump or run fast, but they are excellent swimmers and feel good in the water.

The largest elephant in history is an elephant named Jumbo, who was born in 1861 and died after a collision with a train. At the time of his death, he was 24 years old, and he was 4 meters in height.

In total, there are 2 types of elephants - Asian and African. Although, of course, each species has several more subspecies (African bush elephant or, for example, Asian bush elephant, etc.)

As a rule, herds of elephants consist mainly of relatives and can number hundreds, and sometimes thousands of individuals.

Elephants are highly developed and intelligent animals. They tend to help each other in any situation, take care when someone gets sick. They also tend to rejoice and generally experience emotions, and even feel sad when someone from their herd dies.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were two public executions of elephants. In 1903, Topsy the elephant was electrocuted for trampling 3 people. 13 years later, another elephant named Big Mary was executed for a similar crime. They decided to execute her by hanging on a crane.

Another very remarkable and interesting fact. Ivory is not only the naming of elephant tusks. In addition to them, this term is called the fangs of a hippopotamus, the fangs of walruses. Mammoth tusks and even sperm whale teeth. It's all ivory.)

If you look at the leg of an elephant with the help of an X-ray, you can see that he walks as if on his fingers, i.e. on tiptoe, and his heel is raised. Thus, the entire load goes to the fingers, and this entire massive leg inside practically consists of one fat.

Elephants drink an average of 100-200 liters per day, and their trunk can hold up to 8 liters of water.

Most of the time the elephant spends eating (about 16 hours).

elephants (Elephantidae)- huge, strong, intelligent and sociable mammals. For many centuries, mankind has been amazed by their size - males African species can reach 7500 kilograms. Elephants amaze with their long and flexible noses, large and flapping ears, and loose and wrinkled skin. They are among the most famous animals in the world. There are many stories and movies about elephants - you've probably heard of Horton, King Babar and baby Dumbo.

Appearance

Ears

The ears of elephants, in addition to their direct purpose, also act as an air conditioner. In hot weather, elephants wave them, and thereby cool the blood in the ears, which, thanks to numerous blood vessels, cools the entire body of the animal.

Leather

The term "thick-skinned" comes from Greek word"pachydermos" meaning "thick skin". The thickness of the skin on some parts of the body can reach 2.54 cm. The skin does not fit tightly to the body, which creates the appearance of baggy pants. The benefit of thick skin is to retain moisture, as the evaporation time increases and the body stays cooler longer. Despite the thickness of their skin, elephants are very sensitive to touch and sunburn. To protect themselves from blood-sucking insects and the sun, they often pour water on themselves and also roll in the mud.

Tusks and teeth

The tusks of an elephant are located on the upper jaw and serve as the only incisors. They are used for defense, foraging, and for lifting objects. The tusks are present at birth and are milk teeth that fall out after a year when they reach a length of 5 cm. Permanent tusks extend beyond the lips after 2-3 years and grow throughout life. The tusks are made of ivory (dentine), with an outer layer of enamel, and the peculiar shape creates a special sheen that distinguishes ivory tusks from other mammals such as warthogs, walruses and sperm whales. Often, African elephants die at the hands of poachers just because of their tusks.

Elephants also have molars located on both jaws on both sides. One molar can weigh about 2.3 kilograms and be the size of a brick. Each elephant changes up to 6 sets of teeth in its lifetime. New teeth do not grow vertically, as in most mammals, but climb from behind, while old and worn ones are pushed forward. In old age, elephant molars are sensitive and worn, so they prefer to eat softer food. In this case, swamps are ideal places where soft vegetation grows. In such areas, you can often find old individuals that remain there until their death. This circumstance has led some people to believe that elephants go to special places to die.

Trunk

The elephant's trunk simultaneously acts as the upper lip and nose. On each side of the trunk there are 8 large muscles, and along the entire length there are about 150,000 muscle bundles (muscle lobes). This unique appendage lacks bone and cartilage. He is so strong that he can lower the trunk of a tree down and so agile that he can only pick up one straw. Elephants use their trunks like we use our hands: grab, hold, lift, touch, pull, push and throw.

The trunk also functions as a nose. It has two nostrils to draw in air through the long nasal passages into the lungs. Elephants use their trunk to drink, but the water doesn't go all the way to the nose like a straw, instead it lingers in the trunk and then the elephant raises its head and pours the water into its mouth.

Habitat

Asian elephants live in Nepal, India and parts of Southeast Asia. The main habitats are undersized and rainforests. During the dry months, they are often found along river banks.

African bush elephants (savanna elephants) live in eastern, central and southern parts of Africa, prefer lowland and mountain forests, floodplains, all types of woodlands and savannahs. Forest elephants are found in the Congo Basin and in western Africa, in moist, semi-deciduous tropical forests.

The largest elephant

The record for the largest elephant was held by an adult male African elephant. He weighed about 12,240 kilograms and stood 3.96 meters in height to his shoulders. Most animals do not grow to this size, but African bush elephants are much larger in size than Asian ones.

big appetite

The elephant's diet includes all types of vegetation, from grass and fruits to leaves and bark. Every day, these huge animals consume 75-50 kilograms of food, which is 4-6% of their body weight. On average, they spend up to 16 hours a day eating. Savanna elephants are herbivores and feed on grass, including sedge, flowering plants, leaves of bushes. Forest elephants prefer leaves, fruits, seeds, twigs and bark. Asian elephants have a mixed diet, during the dry season and after heavy rains they eat shrubs and small trees, and after the first part of the rainy season they can eat grass. Also Asian elephants can eat different types of plants depending on the season, twigs and bark.

Life in the herd

Elephants live in tight social groups called herds, usually made up of females and their offspring. The main leader of the herd is the most experienced and adult female, so matriarchy reigns in the elephant family. The leader of the herd remembers how to find his way to food and water, while avoiding predators, and knows best places for shelter. Also, the main female has the right to teach younger individuals the rules of behavior in society. In some cases, the group may consist of one of the main leader's sisters and her offspring. When the number of individuals in the group becomes large, a new herd is formed, while they can maintain free communication with other associations.

Adult males usually do not live in a herd. After gaining independence from their mother, males leave the herd and live alone or with other bachelors. Males can visit a herd of females only for a short time, for breeding. They do not participate in the upbringing of their offspring.

Etiquette is an important part of elephant society. The trunk may be extended to another elephant in greeting, affection, hugging, wrestling, and reproductive testing.

Offspring

At birth, the growth of an elephant cub is about a meter, and the weight is 55-120 kg. As a rule, babies are born with hair, a short trunk and are directly dependent on the mother and other members of the herd. They do not need a trunk, since milk, from the mother, enters the mouth. Baby elephants try to stay as close as possible to their mother or other nursing female. During the first year of life, on average, they gain 1-1.3 kilograms of weight per day. If the baby is in distress, other members of the herd, often come to his aid.

Despite prolonged gestation and protection, baby elephants need to gradually move through the social levels of the herd and establish their position in it. The cubs spend their days learning to walk on four legs in one direction, trying to cope with huge ears and mastering the work of the trunk. At first they are very clumsy, but all the time they learn to control their body. Upon reaching 2-3 years of age, elephants stop eating mother's milk.

Enemies

What animals pose a threat to elephants? Not many! Baby elephants can be potential food for hyenas, lions, leopards, or crocodiles, but as long as they're with their mom, don't worry. If an elephant senses an approaching danger, it makes a loud sound (alarm) to warn others. To fight a potential predator, the herd forms a protective ring of adults, while the babies are in the middle. For an adult elephant, the main enemy is a poacher with a rifle.

Sounds

Elephants make many different sounds, but some of them are not able to catch human ears, because they are low-frequency. Elephants use these sounds to communicate with each other over long distances. Have you had stomach growls at the most inopportune moment? For elephant society, this is a welcome sound that signals to other elephants that "everything is fine."

Kinds

There are two kinds of elephants: African and Asian. The African genus is subdivided into two species, the bush elephant and the forest elephant, while the Asian or Indian elephant is the only surviving species in its genus. Discussions are still ongoing about how many and what types of elephants there are. More details about African and Asian elephants are written below.

African elephant

Conservation Status: Vulnerable.

African elephants are the largest land animals in the world. Their trunk is an extension of their upper lip and nose and is used to communicate with other individuals, sort things out, and for eating. African elephants, unlike Asian elephants, have two forks at the end of their trunks. Tusks, which grow throughout life, are observed in both males and females, are used in battles, for digging, and also for food. Another notable feature of African elephants is their huge ears, which allow them to cool their huge bodies.

To date, there are two types of African elephants:

Bush or bush elephant (Loxodonta africana);

forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis).

savanna view bigger size than forest and has tusks twisted outwards. At the same time, the forest elephant is darker in color with straight, downward-pointing tusks. There are also differences in the size and shape of the skull and skeleton.

social structure

The social structure of elephants is organized around a herd of bonded females and their offspring. In the bush elephant, each family unit includes about 10 individuals, although there are associations of these family units - "clans" that can number 70 individuals. elephants forest view live in small family groups. Herds can form temporary aggregations of elephants, numbering around 1,000, mostly in East Africa. These associations occur during a period of drought, due to human intervention or any other changes that worsen the standard pattern of existence. When threatened, elephants create a ring around the young and the matriarch (main female), which can be attacked. Young elephants stay with their mother for many years and also receive care from other females in the herd.

Life cycle

As a rule, the female gives birth to one cub, once every 2.5-9 years, at the beginning of the rainy season. Pregnancy lasts 22 months. Cubs are on breastfeeding 6-18 months, although there are cases of feeding up to 6 years. Males leave the female after mating and tend to form alliances with other males. African elephants can live up to 70 years. The fertile age of females begins at 25 years, lasts up to 45 years. Males need to reach the age of 20 in order to successfully compete for a female with other males.

diet

African elephants prefer to eat leaves, branches of bushes and trees, but they can eat grass, fruits and bark.

Historical range and population size

The range of the African elephant ranged across most of Africa, from the coast mediterranean sea to the south of the continent. Scientists believe that between 1930 and 1940, there were more than 3-5 million African elephants. However, as a result of intensive hunting for trophies and tusks, the populations of the species began to decline significantly from the 1950s. An estimated 100,000 elephants were killed in the 1980s, and in some regions, up to 80% of the elephants were killed. In Kenya, the population fell by 85% between 1973 and 1989.

Population size and distribution at the current time

The forest species is distributed in the tropical forest zone in the west and in the center of Africa, where there are relatively large areas of dense forest. The bush elephant lives in the east and south of Africa. Most of the species is concentrated in Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa.

A significant number of elephants are deprived of well-protected areas - less than 20% are protected. In most West African countries, the population count is carried out with only hundreds or tens of individuals living in small groups in an isolated forest. In contrast to the west of the continent, the elephant population in the south is larger and gradually increasing - more than 300,000 elephants now wander between subregions.

Threats

Elephants continue to wander throughout Africa. But these magnificent animals are endangered due to poaching and habitat loss. Elephant populations across Africa are in varying states, some are under great threat of extinction, while others are safe. South Africa has become the main support for elephants, on its territory, the number of individuals is gradually increasing.

Significant elephant populations are separated from well-protected areas that contain only a small number of animals. The African elephant is threatened by illegal hunting for meat and ivory, loss of habitat, conflicts with humans. Most countries do not have sufficient capacity to protect the African elephant. In the absence of conservation action, in some parts of Africa for 50 years, elephants may become extinct animals.

In the early 1970s, the demand for ivory increased and the amount of ivory exported from Africa reached a critical level. Most of the goods that left Africa were declared illegal, with about 80% of the raw meat of slaughtered elephants. This illegal trade has been a driving factor in the decline of the African elephant population from 3-5 million to its current level.

In 1989, the "Convention on International Trade in Species of Wild Fauna and Flora" banned the international trade in ivory to combat massive illegal trade. Following the entry into force of the ban in 1990, some of the main markets for ivory were eliminated. As a result, illegal killings have dropped dramatically in some countries in Africa, especially in places where elephants were not adequately protected. This fact allowed the African elephant population to recover.

However, in countries where conservation authorities receive insufficient funding to combat poaching, the problem becomes significant. Uncontrolled domestic markets for the sale of ivory in a number of states continue to grow. In addition, increasing land use pressure on the elephant population, cuts in the protection budget, and continued poaching for elephant bone and meat have kept the illegal killing of elephants common in some regions.

The uneven distribution of the population has created controversy over the conservation of the African elephant. Some people, mostly residents southern countries, where the number of elephants increases, it is assumed that legal support and controlling the ivory trade could bring substantial economic benefits without compromising the conservation of the species. Others oppose because corruption and lack of law enforcement will not allow control over reasonable trading. Therefore, the illegal ivory trade remains a real threat to the African elephant, and concern for the conservation of the population is considered a priority.

Since the range of the elephant goes beyond protected areas, and the rapid growth of the human population and the expansion of land for management Agriculture increasingly reduce the habitat of elephants. In this regard, there is a conflict between man and elephant. The boundaries of the farms do not allow elephants to pass through the migratory corridors. The consequence is the destruction or damage of agricultural crops and small villages. The inevitable loss comes from both sides, as people lose their livelihood to elephants, and elephants lose their habitats, for which they often lose their lives. The human population continues to grow throughout the territory of elephants, which threatens to reduce habitats, being the main threat.

The more we learn about elephants, the more the need for conservation increases. The current generation needs to be inspired to help preserve these beautiful wildlife for our future generations.

Asian elephant

Conservation status: Endangered species.
Listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature

The sacred Asian elephant, which has been worshiped for many centuries, is still used for ceremonial and religious purposes. It is revered not only for its role in Asian culture, but also for being one of the key species in the Asian rainforests. Although there are thousands of domesticated elephants in Southeast Asia, this magnificent animal is threatened with extinction in the wild, associated with a rapidly growing human population that is crowding out elephants from their usual habitat.

Wild elephant populations are small because ancient migration routes are cut off by human settlements and cannot rejoin other elephant groups. Clashes between elephants and humans often result in the death of both sides. Today, widespread problems are: illegal poaching, trade in ivory, meat and skins.

Description

The Asian elephant is considered the largest land mammal in Asia. It has relatively small ears, a single finger-like process at the end of the trunk, while the African elephant has two processes. A significant number of male Asian elephants lack tusks, and the percentage of males with tusks varies by region - about 5% in Sri Lanka and up to 90% in southern India. Asian elephants constantly keep their ears moving to keep their bodies cool. They have a well-developed hearing, vision, sense of smell, and are also excellent swimmers. Dimensions: body length is 550-640 cm, height at the shoulders is 250-300 cm, weight is about 5000 kg. Color: varies from dark gray to brown, with patches of pink on the forehead, ears, chest and at the base of the trunk.

social structure

Asian elephants have a tight social structure. Females are united in groups of 6-7 related individuals, at the head of which are females "matriarchs". As with African elephants, groups may join others to form large herds that are relatively short-lived.

Life cycle

According to observers, Asian elephant cubs can stand on their feet immediately after birth, and after a few months they begin to feed on grass and leaves. Under the care of the mother, the babies remain for several years, and begin to move independently after 4 years. At the age of 17, elephants reach their final size. Both sexes become sexually mature at the age of 9 years, but males usually do not become sexually active until 14-15 years of age, and even at this age they are not capable of social dominance, which is a necessary component of successful reproductive activity.

reproduction

In favorable living conditions, the female can give birth to cubs every 2.5-4 years, otherwise it happens every 5-8 years.

diet

Elephants spend more than two-thirds of the day feeding on grass, tree bark, roots, leaves, and small stems. Crops such as bananas, rice and sugar cane are the preferred foods. Asian elephants need to drink at least once a day, so they are always near fresh water sources.

Population and distribution

Initially ranged from present-day Iraq and Syria to China's Yellow River Yellow River, they are now only found from India to Vietnam, with a tiny population settled in China's southwest Yunnan province. It is estimated that over 100,000 Asian elephants existed in the early 20th century. And over the past 60-75 years, the population has declined by at least 50%.

Threats

The ever-growing human population of tropical Asia has encroached on a dense but shrinking forest environment elephant habitat. About 20% of the world's population lives in or near the range of the Asian elephant. Competition for living space has led to a significant loss of forest cover, as well as a decline in the number of Asian elephants - 25,600-32,750 individuals in the wild.

The populations of the Asian elephant have increased fragmentation, the consequence of which is a significant decrease in the chances of survival, since in the face of a growing population of people, development projects are created based on the construction of dams, roads, mines, industrial complexes, settlements. Most national parks and reserves where elephants live are too small to accommodate all viable populations. The transformation of forest land into agricultural land leads to serious conflicts between humans and elephants. Every year in India, elephants kill up to 300 people.

In Asiatic elephants, only males have tusks and therefore poaching is directed at them. The killing of elephants for ivory and meat remains a serious problem in many countries, especially in southern India (where 90% of elephants are potential prey) and northeast India, where some people eat elephant meat. From 1995 to 1996, covert poaching for the bones and meat of Asian elephants increased. The illegal trade across the Thai-Myanmar border in live elephants, their bones, and skins has also become a big conservation problem. In 1997, seven years after the ban on the ivory trade, illegal sales remained in the territory. Far East, with South Korea, China and Taiwan remaining the main markets. However, most of this illegal production came from Africa, not Asian elephants.

The incarceration of wild elephants for domestic purposes has become a threat to wild populations, which have declined substantially. The governments of India, Vietnam and Myanmar have banned capture in an effort to conserve wild herds, but in Myanmar, elephants have been captured annually for use in the lumber industry or illegal trade. Unfortunately, crude methods of catching have led to high level mortality. Efforts are being made not only to improve safety but also to breed elephants in captivity. Given that almost 30% of elephants live in captivity, it is necessary to increase their numbers through the reintroduction of individuals into the wild.

elephant facts

Life span: about 30 years in the wild and about 50 years in captivity.
Pregnancy: 20 to 22 months.
Number of babies at birth: 1.
Sexual maturity 13-20 years.
Size: females average 2.4 meters in height to the shoulders, and males - 3-3.2 meters.
Weight: The female African elephant weighs up to 3600 kg, and the male - 6800 kg. The female Asian elephant weighs an average of 2720 kg, and the male - 5400 kg.
Birth weight: 55-120 kg.
Height at birth: 66-107 centimeters to the shoulders.
The skin of an elephant is so sensitive that the animal can feel the touch of a fly.
The low, loud calls of one elephant can be heard by others up to 8 kilometers away.
Elephants suffer from hunting for their tusks, which are made of dentine, just like our teeth.
In the Andaman Islands (India), elephants swim in the sea between the islands.
The skull of an elephant weighs about 52 kilograms.
Elephants use mostly one of their tusks. Therefore, often one is worn more than the other.
The modern elephant is the only mammal, which can remain well below the surface of the water, while the trunk is used as a breathing tube.
Frequent bathing and dousing with water, as well as mud baths, are an important part of skin care.
Unlike other mammals, elephants grow throughout their lives.
Are elephants afraid of mice? Most likely, they are annoyed by small animals, so they try to scare or crush them.
Elephants can remember good and bad things. Especially in zoos, they can remember people who have done something nice for them or vice versa.
Elephants sleep lying down for several hours, and, as zookeepers have noticed, they can even snore.
An African elephant, weighing about 6,300 kilograms, is capable of carrying up to 9,000 kilograms.

It's easy to guess that African elephant lives in Africa almost all over the mainland. This is the largest land animal, reaching a weight of more than 3 tons. The African elephant is quite tall - 4 meters. This type of elephant has rather large and pronounced tusks. Males have large tusks three meters, in females they do not reach even a meter. The trunk of elephants is formed by the fusion of the upper lip and nose. Elephants are herbivorous mammals, prefer grasses, leaves, branches as food. Elephants live in families of several individuals (the number of individuals is approximately 10-15 in each group). Elephants are very friendly to each other, peace reigns in their family. Adult elephants carefully protect young elephants, and when a cub is born, the whole family seems to rejoice. The female bears the cub for a long time - almost two years. Usually one baby elephant is born. After birth, the cub feeds on mother's milk for 2 years and only after five years lives on its own. Elephant lifespan: 50-60 years.

Indian elephant

Habitat: India, southeast Asia. It is slightly smaller than the African elephant. Compared to the African elephant, the Indian elephant has small ears and less pronounced tusks. Some females have no tusks at all. The elephant also feeds on grass, various fruits. By the way, all elephants eat with the help of a trunk: they take food with a trunk and put it in their mouths. They also drink with their trunks. The Indian elephant is more friendly towards people, so they are caught for circuses and zoos more often than African elephants. Now the population of Indian elephants has declined sharply.

How many types of elephants are there in the world?

African forest elephant

To date, only two species have survived in the elephant family (Familia Elephantidae Cray): Indian elephants, which are found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and also on the Indochina peninsula, and African elephants, which zoologists divide into savannahs (savannah elephants) and living in tropical forests (forest elephants).

African and Indian elephants differ in body structure
and temper.

These differences are quite large, and when crossing elephants of two different types no offspring.

The African elephant is taller than the Indian elephant, its ears are larger, its skin is rougher, the trunk is thinner, the tusks that both males and females have are more developed; the weight of males reaches 5 - 7.5 tons, females - 3 - 4 tons.

Indian male elephants weigh 4.5 - 5 tons, females - 3 - 4 tons; tusks in females, as a rule, do not happen.

Both African and Indian elephants live in herds.

The basis of the herd is a family group of two to five, sometimes more elephants related by kinship (most often it is an old female elephant and her offspring of different generations).

sense organs and parts of the body

Nutrition and lifestyle »

Origin of modern elephants

As you know, both species of elephants are descendants of Proboscidea - an ancient animal with a trunk. The elephants that live today are descended from two different, parallel ancestral branches. Both of them were developed when dinosaurs dominated the earth. It was then that Moeritheres, animals similar to tapirs, appeared on the territory of modern Egypt.

This happened in the Paleocene epoch (65 million years ago).

How many types of elephants live on earth?

The structure of the skull and the arrangement of the teeth of these proboscideans was almost the same as that of the modern elephant, and four teeth were the forerunners of modern tusks. Another branch was represented by Deinotheriidae, an animal that lived in Africa and Eurasia.

Being in favorable conditions of detention, all these animals in the next twenty-six million years spread throughout Africa and Eurasia, and over time, across North and South America. Various climatic conditions and habitats have led to the emergence of various kinds proboscis.

They lived everywhere - from the polar glacier to the desert, including the tundra, and the taiga, and forests, as well as the savannah and swamps. All species, and there were more than three hundred of them, can be divided into four main classes.

Deinotherium lived in the Eocene era (58 million years ago) and strongly resembled modern elephants. They were much smaller, had a shorter trunk, and two large tusks were twisted down and back. This class became extinct 2.5 million years ago.

Gomphotheres lived in the Oligocene era (37 million years ago).

They had the body of an elephant but a vestigial trunk. The teeth are similar to those of modern elephants, but there were also four small tusks, two of which were twisted up and two down. Some had broad, flat jaws that enabled them to scoop up marsh vegetation. In others, the jaws were much smaller, but the tusks were more developed. This species became extinct about 10,000 years ago.

From Gomphotherium in the Miocene-Pleistocene era (10-12 million years ago), mamutids (Mammutidae), often called mastodons, originated.

These animals were almost the same as elephants, but had a more powerful body, long tusks and long trunk. They also differed in the arrangement of their teeth. The eyes of mastodons were much smaller, and the body had a dense hairline.

It is assumed that mastodons lived in the forests until primitive people came to the continent (approximately 18,000 years ago).

Elephants (Elephantidae) descended from mastodons during the Pleistocene era (1.6 million years ago) and gave rise to the Mammuthus family, the closest to the family of prehistoric elephants - huge woolly mammoths and two lineages of modern elephants: Elephas and Loxodonta. Mammuthus imperator, which lived in southern North America, was the largest mammoth: 4.5 meters (15 feet) at the withers.

The northern woolly mammoth, Mammus primigehius, lived in northern North America and Eurasia. Its numbers were enormous.

This species is the most studied, as several whole frozen specimens have been found, which are still stored in this form.

Woolly-coated mammoths were little more than modern elephants and protected themselves from the cold with long, dense, reddish wool and a 76 millimeters (3 in) thick subcutaneous fat layer.

Their long tusks were twisted down, forward and inward and served to tear the snow that covered the vegetation. The African and Indian elephant is all that remains today of their many ancestors.

Information sent by: Malyakina Z. E. MGAVMiB im. K. I. Scriabin.

Elephant species

Of these two varieties, African elephants are in turn divided into two species (savannah and forest), while the Asian elephant is divided into four species (Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumartan and Borneo).

Elephants, like people, are able to change, and change depending on the nature, emotions and personal qualities (individual characteristics). Asian elephants have been very important to Asian culture for thousands of years - they have been tamed and are now used as a vehicle in difficult terrain, to carry heavy objects such as logs, and in festivals and circuses.

Currently, the Indian elephant is the largest, it has longer front legs and more subtle body than its Thai counterparts. We will focus on Thai Elephants in more detail, although of course these characteristics apply to all types of Asian Elephant. Let's pay attention to some small details. Using our own experience and taking into account information from numerous other sources, we will tell you our own interpretation.

Asian elephants

Approximately half of them are domesticated, the rest live in the wild in National parks and reserves. About 300 suffer in the terrible conditions of Bangkok. At the beginning of the 20th century (1900 AD) over 100,000 elephants are known to have lived in the Siamese (Thai) countryside. Asian elephants are smaller than African ones.

How many types of elephants are there in the world?

They have smaller ears and only males have tusks.

The first species is the Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus). They live on the island of Sri Lanka. A large male can reach 5,400 kg (12,000 lb) and be over 3.4 m (11 ft) tall. Sri Lankan males have very prominent skulls.

Their head, trunk and belly are usually bright pink.

Another species, the Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) makes up the majority of the Asian elephant population. There are about 36,000 of them, they are light gray, with depigmentation only on the ears and trunk. A large male averages only 5,000 kg (11,000 pounds), but they are nonetheless as tall as Sri Lankans.

Indian elephants are found in eleven Asian countries, from India to Indonesia. They prefer forests and areas between forests and fields where a greater variety of food is available to them.

The smallest group of elephants are Sumartan elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus). There are only 2100 - 3000 individuals. They are very light gray in color with pink only on the ears. A mature Sumartan elephant is only 1.7–2.6 m (5.6–8.5 ft) tall and weighs less than 3,000 kg (6,600 lb).

Although it is, of course, a huge animal anyway, the Sumartan elephant is much smaller than any other Asian (and African) and exists only on the island of Sumatra, usually in forests and groves.

In 2003, another species of elephant was discovered on the island of Borneo. Called the Borneo Dwarf Elephants, they are smaller and calmer, more docile than other Asian elephants.

They have relatively large ears, a longer tail, and straighter fangs.

African elephants

Elephants of the genus Loxodonta, known as African elephants, currently live in 37 countries in Africa. The African elephant is the largest living land animal. It is characterized by massive heavy body, a large head on a short neck, thick limbs, huge ears and a long muscular trunk.

The most striking difference from Asian ones is the ears. Africans have them much larger and shaped like the continent of their origin.

Both male and female African elephants have tusks and are generally less hairy than their Asian counterparts. Tusks grow throughout the life of an elephant and serve as an indicator of its age. Historically, African elephants have been observed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. At present, the area of distribution of elephants has been greatly reduced. The African elephant is completely extinct in Burundi, the Gambia and Mauritania, some species have survived to the north, in Mali. Despite the vast area of distribution, elephants are mainly concentrated in national parks and reserves.

Traditionally, there are two types of African elephants, namely the Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) and the Forest Elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis).

The African bush elephant is the largest of all elephants. In fact, it is the largest animal on Earth in the world, reaching 4 m (13 ft) in height and weighing approximately 7,000 kg (7.7 tons).

The average male is about 3 m (10 ft) tall and 5500-6000 kg (6.1-6.6 tons) in weight, the female is much smaller. Most often, Savanna elephants are found in open fields, in swamps, and on the shores of lakes.

They mainly live in the savannah and migrate south from the Sahara desert.

Compared to the Savannah, the ears of the African Forest Elephant are usually smaller and more rounded, the tusks are thinner and straighter. The forest elephant weighs up to 4,500 kg (10,000 lb) and reaches a height of 3 m (10 ft). Much less is known about these animals than about their savanna counterparts - emerging political differences and habitat conditions of African forest elephants hinder their study.

Usually, they inhabit the impenetrable tropical forests of central and western Africa. The largest populations of Forest Elephants are currently found in South and East Africa.

There are two varieties of elephant - African elephant (genus: Loxodonta) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). They are different, but there are still some striking differences. There are approximately 500,000 African elephants, while the number of Asian elephants is drastically reduced to less than 30,000.

Of these two varieties, African elephants are in turn divided into two species (savannah and forest), while the Asian elephant is divided into four species (Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumartan and Borneo). Elephants, like people, are able to change, and change depending on the nature, emotions and personal qualities (individual characteristics).

Asian elephants have been very important to Asian culture for thousands of years - they have been tamed and are now used as a vehicle in difficult terrain, to carry heavy objects such as logs, and in festivals and circuses. Currently, the Indian elephant is the largest, with longer front legs and a thinner body than its Thai counterparts. We will focus on Thai Elephants in more detail, although of course these characteristics apply to all types of Asian Elephant.

Let's pay attention to some small details. Using our own experience and taking into account information from numerous other sources, we will tell you our own interpretation.

Asian elephants

They are officially considered an endangered species, in Thailand their number reaches only 3000-4000.

Approximately half of them are domesticated, the rest live in the wild in National parks and reserves. About 300 suffer in the terrible conditions of Bangkok. In the early 20th century (1900 AD), over 100,000 elephants are known to have lived in the Siamese (Thai) countryside.

Asian elephants are smaller than African ones. They have smaller ears and only males have tusks.

The first species is the Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus). They live on the island of Sri Lanka. A large male can reach 5,400 kg (12,000 lb) and be over 3.4 m (11 ft) tall.

Sri Lankan males have very prominent skulls. Their head, trunk and belly are usually bright pink.

Another species, the Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) makes up the majority of the Asian elephant population.

There are about 36,000 of them, they are light gray, with depigmentation only on the ears and trunk. A large male averages only 5,000 kg (11,000 pounds), but they are nonetheless as tall as Sri Lankans. Indian elephants are found in eleven Asian countries, from India to Indonesia.

They prefer forests and areas between forests and fields where a greater variety of food is available to them.

The smallest group of elephants are Sumartan elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus).

There are only 2100 - 3000 individuals.

Elephant - description, species where it lives

They are very light gray in color with pink only on the ears. A mature Sumartan elephant is only 1.7–2.6 m (5.6–8.5 ft) tall and weighs less than 3,000 kg (6,600 lb). Although it is, of course, a huge animal anyway, the Sumartan elephant is much smaller than any other Asian (and African) and exists only on the island of Sumatra, usually in forests and groves.

In 2003, another species of elephant was discovered on the island of Borneo.

Called the Borneo Dwarf Elephants, they are smaller and calmer, more docile than other Asian elephants. They have relatively large ears, a longer tail, and straighter fangs.

African elephants

Elephants of the genus Loxodonta, known as African elephants, currently live in 37 countries in Africa.

The African elephant is the largest living land animal. It is characterized by a massive heavy body, a large head on a short neck, thick limbs, huge ears and a long muscular trunk.

The most striking difference from Asian ones is the ears. Africans have them much larger and shaped like the continent of their origin. Both male and female African elephants have tusks and are generally less hairy than their Asian counterparts. Tusks grow throughout the life of an elephant and serve as an indicator of its age.

Historically, African elephants have been observed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. At present, the area of distribution of elephants has been greatly reduced. The African elephant is completely extinct in Burundi, the Gambia and Mauritania, some species have survived to the north, in Mali. Despite the vast area of distribution, elephants are mainly concentrated in national parks and reserves. Traditionally, there are two types of African elephants, namely the Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) and the Forest Elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis).

The African bush elephant is the largest of all elephants. In fact, it is the largest animal on Earth in the world, reaching 4 m (13 ft) in height and weighing approximately 7,000 kg (7.7 tons). The average male is about 3 m (10 ft) tall and 5500-6000 kg (6.1-6.6 tons) in weight, the female is much smaller. Most often, Savanna elephants are found in open fields, in swamps, and on the shores of lakes. They mainly live in the savannah and migrate south from the Sahara desert.

Compared to the Savannah, the ears of the African Forest Elephant are usually smaller and more rounded, the tusks are thinner and straighter.

The forest elephant weighs up to 4,500 kg (10,000 lb) and reaches a height of 3 m (10 ft). Much less is known about these animals than about their savanna counterparts - emerging political differences and habitat conditions of African forest elephants hinder their study. Usually, they inhabit the impenetrable tropical forests of central and western Africa.

The largest populations of Forest Elephants are currently found in South and East Africa.

. African elephant
. Indian elephant
. The fate of elephants in Africa
. About Indian Elephants
. Indian working elephants
. African bush elephant
. Who is an Indian Elephant?
. What is an African Elephant?
. Origin of modern elephants
. Andrey Kornilov and circus elephants
. Did hunting for a mammoth or warming affect the disappearance of an animal?
. forest elephant
. The smallest elephant

Body: The color varies from brown to dark gray, the hair of elephants is long, rough, sparsely covering the body. Elephants have thick skin that protects them from the cold.

Elephant - a brief description, the breeding process, interesting facts (89 photos + video)

Also, the elephant has four thick legs to support their huge weight.

Vision: Elephants are rather myopic, able to see clearly only at very close distances, up to about 10 meters.

Hearing: Excellent hearing by human standards. Large ears act as amplifiers and warn of possible dangers.

Smell: A well-developed sense of smell surpasses that of any other mammal on Earth.

Touch: An amazing sense of balance is the result of an excellent sense of touch.

The elephant's trunk, an incredibly versatile organ, plays big role in this ability. A more detailed description of the elephant's trunk can be found on this page.

Taste: As with all highly developed animals, it is sufficient, and the elephant can easily distinguish between good, bad and favorite food.

Teeth and tusks: Male Asian African elephants have large tusks - up to 1.5 - 1.8 m in length, while females do not have tusks at all.

African elephants have long tusks in both sexes. Newborn elephants have tusks only 2 inches long. And only when they reach the age of two, the tusks begin to grow. In fact, the tusks are the teeth of elephants. The only creature that also has tusks is the walrus. Elephants need tusks to dig the ground in search of food, to remove garbage, to fight and to carry loads weighing up to 1 ton, such as timber.

The molars (chewing teeth) are at least 30 cm (1 ft) long and weigh approximately 4 kg (8.8 lbs). Elephants have only four of these teeth. When new molars are formed, they completely replace the old ones. During his life, an elephant usually replaces molars six times, the latter grow by about 40 years. When, around the age of 70, they also break down, it becomes difficult for the elephant to eat, and subsequently, many of the elephants die of starvation.

Tusks never stop growing.

Legs: The elephant's legs are large, straight pillars, as they must support all of its enormous weight.

Therefore, the elephant does not need developed muscles to stand, since it has straight legs and soft pads on the feet. Thus, the elephant can be on its feet for a very long time without getting tired. In fact, African elephants rarely lie down unless they are tired or sick.

Indian elephants, on the other hand, lie down frequently.

Elephant feet are almost round in shape. At African elephant three claws on the hind limbs and four on the front. The Indians have four on the back and five on the front.

The peculiar device of the soles (a special springy mass located under the skin) makes the gait of elephants almost silent.

Under the weight of the elephant, the bulges of the sole increase, and when the weight is reduced, they also deflate. Thanks to this, the elephant can dive deep into the mud and move through the swampy terrain: when the animal pulls its foot out of the bog, the sole takes the form of a cone narrowed downwards; when he steps, the sole flattens out under the weight of the body, increasing the area of \u200b\u200bsupport.

Elephants are good swimmers, but they cannot walk fast, jump, or gallop.

They can walk only in two ways: normal walking, and faster, similar to running. When walking, the legs act like pendulums, the hips and shoulders rise and fall while the feet remain on the ground. Thus, elephants always have at least one foot on the ground.

When walking fast, an elephant has three feet on the ground at the same time. When walking at a normal pace, an elephant's speed is approximately 3 to 6 km/h (2 to 4 mph), but can reach a maximum of 40 km/h (24 mph).

. Elephant Features
. General characteristics of elephants
. elephant anatomy
. Why does an elephant need a trunk and tusks?
. Sensitive Organs
. elephant body
. reproductive system female elephant
. Reproductive system of males
. Elephant digestive system
. How many fingers does an elephant have?
. Elephant mating
. elephant legs

Elephants are recognized as the largest land mammals that live on Earth. Since ancient times, people have noted their intelligence, endurance and strength. These animals are trainable, have an excellent memory, and there are even those who, after long training, can take a brush with their trunk and draw a picture. elephants incredible creatures.

Having chosen for their homeland, the expanses of Africa and India, these animals have not only huge dimensions, but also their trunk, large ears and tusks, which are peculiar only to them. Often they take mud baths, with the help of which they actually escape from the bites of annoying insects. The mud dries up on their skin, creating a kind of protective crust that mosquitoes and flies cannot pierce with their stings, which only emphasizes the intelligence of animals.

On average, elephants can reach a weight of 8 tons. However, there is a recorded case in history when the animal weighed more than 12.6 tons. Such an elephant was caught by people in Angola in the 19th century. There are only written references to it, which indicate that the tusks of the animal weighed at least 50 kilograms each. What are the dimensions of the current the biggest elephant in the world?

According to all reports, the largest elephant is now in Israel in one of the country's zoos called "Safari". He is a true long-liver, because he is already in his third decade, and he is still in good health. physical form and continues to gain weight, increasing in volume. The problem turned out to be the gate, which serves as a passage to the courtyard, because over time they became small for the African giant. He has to crouch to get through them. Overseers and qualified people who understand these animals claim that this is even for the benefit of the animal.

The honored resident of "Safari" is called Yossi. His height is 3.8 meters. The animal weighs over 6 tons. It has a meter-long tail and a trunk 2.6 meters long. What to talk about if his ears alone are more than a meter. Experts explain its size with powerful genes that are embedded in the creature, and also note the importance of proper and balanced nutrition.

It is worth noting that even the largest elephant on the planet will not be able to withstand and carry a load that is more than a quarter of its body weight. Among the interesting facts about these creatures is that although they have incredibly powerful legs, they are the only animals on the planet that cannot jump in any way. Their size and volume of the stomach allow them to absorb about two hundred kilograms of food in just one day and a little more water.

They always sleep standing up. Only when they are small, they can fall on one side, but growing up, they don’t even like to squat, let alone kneel. At the same time, weight and such a lifestyle do not in the least prevent them, if necessary, from accelerating more than 40 kilometers per hour. In a panic, an elephant can even smash a brick wall in its path and not pay attention to it.