Information about elephant

Elephant classification

The elephant is considered the largest land animal. The elephant is distinguished by its long trunk, which consists of its upper lip and nose. It is also distinguished by its vertical legs, and its huge head, which contains the temporal glands, and broad, flat ears. Its body is covered with sparse and coarse hair of a color ranging from gray to brown.^[XNUMX] It should be noted that the elephant is the only surviving member of the elephant family.^[XNUMX] The following table shows the scientific classification of elephants:^[XNUMX]

Types of elephants

There are currently two species of elephants, but it is noteworthy that there were previously 17 species of them, according to scientists’ estimates.^[XNUMX] The following is an explanation of the types of elephants that exist now, their locations, and their habitat:

African elephant

The African elephant lives in all sub-Saharan savannah regions of the African continent, in addition to the rainforests in central and western Africa, and the Sahel desert region in Mali. The number of African elephants living in the wild, according to the African Wildlife Foundation, is 415,000 elephants. It is noteworthy that The African elephant is divided into two subspecies, as follows:^[XNUMX]

African jungle elephant

It is considered the smallest species of living elephant. The number of African jungle elephants is estimated at about 10,000 elephants. Most of them live in the forests of Gabon. They are also found mainly in the tropical forests of Central and West Africa, in addition to their presence in the regions of the Congo Basin, Liberia, Cameroon, Benin, and the Central African Republic. Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and others.^[XNUMX]

African bush elephant

African bush elephants are the heaviest and largest species of living elephants in the world, and their number is estimated at about 405,000 elephants, while their habitat extends widely throughout the African continent, where they prefer to live in grasslands and semi-desert areas. They are also found mainly in the east and south of the continent, and that; The countries of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and others.^[XNUMX]

Asian elephant

The Asian elephant lives mainly in rainforests and tree forests in the south and southeast of the continent of Asia. Its habitat is currently limited to the countries of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, the Malay Peninsula, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, and others, but its homeland was It extends in ancient times over vast areas reaching from the basin of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the west of the Asian continent to the Yangtze River in China in the east of the continent. It is also noted that there are 3 subspecies of Asian elephants, which are as follows:^[XNUMX]

Indian elephant

The number of elephants living in India is 27,312 elephants, representing about 55% of the number of Asian elephants in the world. It is noteworthy that the elephant in India represents a national heritage symbol, as it was granted the highest protection under the Wildlife Protection Law in India, and elephants live in 29 reserves. Distributed throughout India.^[XNUMX]

Sri Lankan elephant

The Sri Lankan elephant is the largest of all Asian elephant subspecies. It lives in the driest areas of the country, and the number of this type of elephant reaches 2,100.^[XNUMX]

Sumatran elephant

The Sumatran elephant is one of the most endangered subspecies of Asian elephants. This is because their numbers have decreased significantly.^[XNUMX]

Elephant characteristics and physical specifications

The physical characteristics and specifications of the elephant vary according to its type, and the following is a table that explains the aspects of these characteristics and the differences between them:^[XNUMX]

It is worth noting that the function of tusks is to dig, lift things, collect food, and protect the trunk. It is also noted that elephants can use their right or left tusks for work. A frequently used tooth can be identified by the effects of wear on it compared to the other.[4]

What do elephants eat?

Below are some facts and information related to elephant nutrition and diet:^[XNUMX]

• The elephant feeds on grasses, small plants, branches, shrubs, fruits, tree bark and roots, and tree bark is its favorite food. This is because it contains calcium and fiber that aid in the digestion process.
• The elephant's average consumption of vegetation ranges between 149-169 kg per day. This means that the elephant spends between 16 and 18 hours eating, which constitutes approximately 80% of its day.
• An elephant needs to drink 68.4-98.8 liters of water daily, and its water consumption per day may reach 152 liters. It is noted that an adult male elephant can drink 212 liters of water in less than 5 minutes.
• The elephant digs the ground using its tusks, then puts some dirt in its mouth in order to obtain nutrients, including salts and minerals, in order to complete its diet. It is noteworthy that the depth of these holes can reach several feet. For example: African elephants dug during... Excavated over time by the formation of caves at the foot of a volcanic mountain on the Ugandan border, Asian elephants in India and Sumatra have also created landscapes that provide food and shelter for a variety of wildlife.

Elephants mating

The mating period for female elephants for the purpose of procreation and reproduction is 3 weeks, but pregnancy is possible within 3-5 days at that time, as female elephants emit sounds that reach long distances in order to help male elephants determine their location, and it is also indicated that there is competition between males for... marriage; A test of strength is carried out through wrestling and pushing, and successive mating occurs for a short period extending from a few hours to 4 days. The male usually stays with the female elephant to prevent her from mating with other males. It is worth noting that the gestation period of female elephants, both African and Asian, is approximately two years; That is, 20-22 months, and by the third month of pregnancy, the baby elephant’s tail, trunk, and ears appear.^[XNUMX]

Pregnancy in elephants

The gestation period of elephants ranges between 18-22 months, and is considered the longest among mammal species.^[XNUMX] This can be explained by the large size of the elephant, which means the need for a long gestation period sufficient for its stages of development and growth within its mother’s womb.^[XNUMX] Thus, mother elephants give birth to individuals, each of which weighs approximately 110 kg.^[XNUMX]

Elephant life stages

The elephant has specific stages of development, with each age stage extending over a long period of time, up to years. Each stage is also characterized by distinct physical features and different roles and functions. The following is an explanation of these stages:^[XNUMX]

Childhood

The childhood stage of an elephant extends from birth until the elephant is weaned from its mother’s milk, as this period can reach 5-10 years. During the first three to five years of their lives, young elephants depend completely on their mothers, as young elephants are taught at this stage all things... Related to the herd so that they can live on their own; This includes teaching them to use the hose for feeding, drinking, and bathing. It should be noted that the baby elephants are born two months before the rains, which means that the vegetation is soft and supple when the baby elephants begin to feed.^[XNUMX]

Adolescence

The adolescent stage of the elephant begins with the weaning stage, that is, at the age of 5-10 years, and continues until approximately the age of 17 years, when the elephant reaches the stage of sexual maturity. At this stage, male elephants begin to separate from the main herd, and tend to form small groups of their peers, while remaining... Females are attached to the main matrilineal herd.^[XNUMX]

puberty

The adult stage of elephants begins at approximately the age of 18 and continues until their death. Although elephants become sexually mature during adolescence, they begin to marry at the age of 20, while their ability to reproduce stops at the age of 50. It is worth noting that elephants are afflicted by many age-related diseases. Very similar to diseases that affect humans, including heart disease and arthritis.^[XNUMX]

Elephant behaviors

The elephant performs a set of distinctive behaviors, some of which are explained below:

Living in groups

Elephants live in large groups separated between males and females. Male and female elephants meet only for mating and short social interactions. Females spend their entire lives in a main group led by the eldest female, as they use their long experience to protect and save the group from danger, in addition to leading the group to areas Food and education of the young. While groups of males do not have a specific leader, the largest elephants and the strongest in physical structure represent the controlling and dominant members of the herd.^[XNUMX]

Communication

Elephants are keen to communicate with each other, as they make sounds that can be heard 8 km away, and each elephant has its own distinctive sound, which other elephants can recognize and distinguish.^[XNUMX] The sound of an elephant is called nahim.^[XNUMX]

Loyalty to each other

Elephants feel each other, as they slow down their movement as they walk, taking into account injured or elderly elephants. In addition, the entire herd grieves the death of one of its members, and elephants are also keen to help each other when one of them is injured, even if that poses a danger. on her.^[XNUMX]

Daily activities

Elephants sleep only 4 to 5 hours a day, as they spend most of their time eating. Elephants also care about cleanliness, as they are keen to bathe daily, and bathing time is a time for them to play.^[XNUMX]

Elephant migration

Elephants resort to migration seasonally in search of the basics that allow them to survive. Such as water and food, and its strong memory and intelligence help it choose the paths it takes during its migration.^[XNUMX]

The elephant can remember the routes rich in water sources, and it may follow various methods to preserve these sources in order to benefit from them in its next migration, such as closing a water hole that it dug itself, so that it can return to it later and drink from it.^[XNUMX]

Elephants live in groups led by their females, and are generally divided into two types: African and Asian. They are considered relatively long-lived mammals, with their ages ranging between (60-70) years, depending on the species.

Because of its large size and excessive weight, it must need large amounts of food daily, so it spends most of its time eating. One of the most important features of the elephant is the presence of tusks and a long trunk.