Elephant habitat on the map. Elephant habitats. Where does the Indian elephant live?

24.10.2019

Elephants live in a structured social order. Public life females and males are not at all similar. Females spend their days and expend their energy to create a family, they aspire to become mothers, they are daughters and sisters. Regular groups of elephants are led by the oldest female elephant. Adult elephants live separately. The social circle of elephants does not end with a small family unit. In addition to relationships with local males, a female's life also includes interactions with other families, clans, and subpopulations. The most immediate family groups range from five to fifteen elephants, including baby elephants. When the group becomes too large, the older females, the daughters of the family, separate and form their own clan. Moreover, they know which of the groups are relatives to them, and which are not.

The life of an adult male is quite different. As he gets older, he begins to spend more time outside the herd, gradually a large number of hours or days at a time. Eventually the days become weeks, and around the age of fourteen, the mature male leaves the group for good. While males do lead primarily solitary lives, they sometimes form loose associations with other males. These groups are called bachelor herds. Men spend much more time than women fighting each other for dominance. Only the most dominant males will be allowed to breed with females. The less dominant must wait their turn. Usually these are older elephants, who are forty-fifty years old, they make a significant contribution to the reproduction of the genus. Fights between men can look very brutal, and as a result, they inflict wounds on each other, but not much. Most of the meetings take place in the form of aggressive show-off and bluffing. Usually, smaller, younger, and less confident animals will retreat before they develop injuries or wounds. However, during the mating season, the fighting can become extremely aggressive, and even accidentally an elephant can be hurt by another elephant. During this season, the elephant will fight almost any other elephant it comes across. Self-awareness. The mirror is used in research to determine if the elephant sees itself, its understanding and self-knowledge. The elephants were given a mirror and marks were made on them. The elephants examined these markings, which were only visible through a mirror. Invisible markings were included in the Test to eliminate the possibility of using other senses to detect markings. This shows that elephants recognize the image in the mirror as their own, and such abilities are considered the basis for empathy, altruism and higher social interactions. Previously, this ability was found only in monkeys, Bottlenose Dolphins and humans.

Homosexuality. African just like Asian elephants are also involved in sexual relationships. Such encounters are often associated with tender interactions such as kissing, intertwining trunks, and placing trunks in each other's mouths. These encounters are similar to heterosexual encounters, one male placing his trunk along the other's back and moving forward with fangs to show his intent to rise above the other. Unlike heterosexual relationships, which are of a fleeting nature, those that occur between men and are called "companionships" consist of an older elephant and one or two younger ones. The same sexual relations are common and frequent in both sexes, 45% of sexual relationships are a relationship with the same sex.

Communication. Elephants communicate over long distances by producing and receiving low-frequency sound (infrasound), the sound produced by their feet is transmitted through the ground, such sound can travel a greater distance than through air. This sound can be felt by the sensitive skin of the elephant's legs and trunk, which raise resonant vibrations in the head. To listen carefully, each elephant in the herd lifts one foot off the ground. Climbing seems to increase ground contact and sensitivity of the remaining legs. Leading research into elephant infrasonic communication was done by Katie Payne, in her book Silent Thunder. While this research is still in its infancy, it helps solve many mysteries, such as how elephants can find distant potential elephants to help, and how social groups able to coordinate their movements over a wide area.

Reproduction.

Females reach sexual maturity between 9 and 12 years of age, and become pregnant for the first time at 13 years of age. They can reproduce offspring up to 55-60 years. Females give birth to offspring at intervals of approximately 5 years. Their gestation lasts about 22 months (630–660 days), the longest gestation period of any mammal, after which a single calf is typically born. Two baby elephants are born at once very rarely. Childbirth lasts from 5 minutes to 60 hours. The average time is 11 hours. At birth, the baby weighs approximately 90-115 kg, and every day they gain up to 1 kg in weight. AT wilderness the mother is accompanied by other adult females who protect the children, and the elephants raise and cherish their baby elephants as a whole family group, in fact from the moment of birth.

Motherhood. The first sound a newborn baby usually makes is a sneeze or snort to clear the nasal passages that are filled with fluid. In the first few minutes after the baby is born, the guardians must control him to hear his first sound and see his first movement. Whatever the number of this cub, the mother typically reacts to her new child with surprise and excitement. With the help of its mother, a newborn baby elephant learns to stand on its feet for the first time 30 minutes after birth. For support, he leans against his mother's legs. A newborn calf already after an hour of standing on its feet grows stronger and is able to move with the group after its mother. Unlike most mammals, females have only a single pair of thoracic glands located behind the front legs. When babies are born they reach 90 cm, just enough to reach the udder. The mother breastfeeds directly into his mouth, since the trunk is not yet strong, and there are no muscles in it that can ensure the movement of milk. A newborn baby elephant eats for only a few minutes at a time, but often throughout the day. Consuming up to 11 liters of milk per day. The cub is nursed up to 2 years, sometimes more. The age at which he is weaned depends on the proximity of the mother, the amount of milk and the appearance of another child. Newborns learn primarily by observing adults and by no means instinctively. For example, a baby elephant learns how to use its trunk by watching older elephants how they treat it. It takes a few months for a baby to start controlling its trunk. Therefore, at an earlier time, he stumbles over his trunk or shakes his head with him.

Elephant. An elephant's social life revolves around breeding and raising children. Females are ready to breed at the age of 13, they begin to look for attractive man to enter into a sexual relationship with him. Females are generally attracted to larger, stronger, and, most importantly, older males. Such a reproductive strategy tends to increase the chances of their offspring to survive. Elephants have a very long childhood. They are born with fewer survival instincts than many other animals. Instead, they rely on their elders to teach them the things they need to know. The baby is born almost blind and at first relies, almost entirely, on its trunk to find the world around it.

Elephant- one of the most amazing animals. They not only know how to do a lot, but they can also be sad, worry, get bored and even laugh.

AT difficult situations they always come to the aid of their relatives. Elephants have the ability to music and drawing.

Elephant Features and Habitat

Two million years ago, during the Pleistocene period, mammoths and mastodons were distributed throughout the planet. Currently, two types of elephants have been studied: African and Indian.

There is an opinion that this large mammal on the planet. However, it is wrong. The largest is the blue or blue whale, in second place is the sperm whale, and only the third place is occupied by the African elephant.

It is indeed the largest of all land animals. The second largest land animal after the elephant is the hippopotamus.

At the withers, the African elephant reaches 4 m and weighs up to 7.5 tons. Indian elephant weighs a little less - up to 5t, its height - 3m. The mammoth belongs to the extinct proboscis. The elephant is a sacred animal in India and Thailand.

On the picture Indian elephant

According to legend, Buddha's mother dreamed White elephant with a lotus, which predicted the birth of an unusual child in her. White elephant- a symbol of Buddhism and the embodiment of spiritual wealth. When an albino elephant is born in Thailand, it is a significant event, the King of the state himself takes him under his care.

These largest land mammals that inhabit Southeast Asia. They prefer to settle in the savannas and tropical forests. It is impossible to meet them only in the deserts.

elephant animal, which is famous for its large tusks. they are used in the extraction of food, to clear the road, in order to mark the territory. Tusks grow constantly, in adults the growth rate can reach 18 cm per year, old individuals have the largest tusks of about 3 meters.

Teeth are constantly worn down, fall out and new ones grow in their place (they change about five times in a lifetime). The price of ivory is very high, which is why animals are constantly destroyed.

And although the animals are protected and even listed in the International, there are still poachers who are ready to kill this beautiful animal for the sake of profit.

It is very rare to find animals with large tusks, since almost all of them have been exterminated. It is noteworthy that in many countries the killing of an elephant entails the death penalty.

There is a legend about the existence of separate mysterious cemeteries among elephants, where old and sick animals go to die, since it is very rare to find the tusks of dead animals. However, scientists managed to dispel this legend, it turned out that porcupines feast on tusks, which thus satisfy mineral hunger.

Elephant - a type of animal, which has one more interesting organ- a trunk reaching seven meters in length. It is formed from the upper lip and nose. The trunk contains approximately 100,000 muscles. This organ is used for breathing, drinking and making sounds. It plays an important role when eating, as a kind of flexible hand.

To grasp small objects, the Indian elephant uses a small protrusion on its trunk that resembles a finger. The African representative has two of them. The trunk serves both for picking blades of grass and for breaking big trees. With the help of a trunk, animals can afford to take a shower from dirty water.

This is not only pleasant for animals, but also protects the skin from annoying insects (the mud dries up and forms a protective film). An elephant is a group of animals which have very large ears. At African elephants they are much larger than those of Asia. Ears in animals are not only an organ of hearing.

Since elephants do not have sebaceous glands, they never sweat. Numerous capillaries penetrating the ears in hot weather expand and give off excess heat to the atmosphere. In addition, this body can be fanned like a fan.

Elephant- the only thing mammal who can't jump or run. They can either just walk or move at a fast pace, which is equivalent to running. In spite of big weight, thick skin (about 3 cm) and thick bones, the elephant walks very quietly.

The thing is that the pads on the animal's foot spring and expand as the load increases, which makes the animal's gait almost silent. The same pads help elephants move through marshy areas. At first glance, an elephant is a rather clumsy animal, but it can reach speeds of up to 30 km per hour.

Elephants have excellent vision, but they use their sense of smell, touch and hearing more. Long eyelashes designed to protect against dust. Being good swimmers, the animals can swim up to 70 km and stay in the water without touching the bottom for six hours.

The sounds made by elephants with the help of the larynx or trunk can be heard at a distance of 10 km.

The nature and lifestyle of the elephant

wild elephants live in a herd, up to 15 animals, where all individuals are exclusively females and relatives. The head of the herd is the female matriarch. The elephant does not tolerate loneliness, it is vital for him to communicate with his relatives, they are faithful to the herd to death.

Members of the herd help and care for each other, raise children with conscience and protect themselves from danger and help weak members of the family. Male elephants are often solitary animals. They live next to some group of females, rarely form their own herds.

Children live in a group up to 14 years. Then they choose: either stay in the herd, or create their own. In the event of the death of a fellow tribesman, the animal is very sad. In addition, they respect the ashes of their relatives, they will never step on them, trying to move them away from the path, and even identify the bones of relatives among other remains.

Elephants spend no more than four hours a day sleeping. Animals african elephants sleep standing. They huddle together and lean on each other. An old elephant lays his big tusks on a termite mound or a tree.

Indian elephants sleep on the ground. The elephant's brain is quite complex and second only to whales in structure. It weighs approximately 5 kg. Elephant in the animal kingdom- one of the most intelligent representatives of the fauna in the world.

They can identify themselves in the mirror, which is one of the hallmarks of self-awareness. Only and can boast of this quality. Also, only chimpanzees and elephants use tools.

Observations have shown that the Indian elephant can use a tree branch as a fly swatter. Elephants have excellent memories. They easily remember the places they've been and the people they've interacted with.

Nutrition

Elephants love to eat. Elephants feed 16 hours a day. They need up to 450 kg various plants daily. An elephant is able to drink from 100 to 300 liters of water per day, depending on the weather.

Pictured are elephants at a watering hole

Elephants are herbivores, their diet includes the roots and bark of trees, grass, fruits. Animals replenish the lack of salt with the help of licks (salt that has come to the surface of the earth). In captivity, elephants feed on grass and hay.

Never refuse apples, bananas, cookies and bread. Excessive love for sweets can lead to health problems, but sweets of a wide variety of varieties are the most favorite delicacy.

Elephant reproduction and lifespan

Within the time frame mating season elephants are not strictly marked. However, it is noticed that during the rainy period, the birth rate of animals increases. During the estrus period, which lasts no more than two days, the female attracts the male with her cries for mating. They stay together for no more than a few weeks. At this time, the female may move away from the herd.

Interestingly, male elephants can be homosexual. After all, the female mates only once a year, and her pregnancy lasts quite a long time. Males need sexual partners much more often, which leads to same-sex relationships.

After 22 months, usually one cub is born. Childbirth takes place in the presence of all members of the herd, who are ready to help if necessary. After their completion, the whole family begins to trumpet, shout and proclaim and add.

Elephants weigh approximately 70 to 113 kg, are about 90 cm tall and are completely toothless. Only at the age of two years do they have small milk tusks, which will be replaced by indigenous ones with age.

A newborn baby elephant needs more than 10 liters of mother's milk per day. Up to two years, it is the main diet of the child, in addition, little by little the baby begins to eat plants.

They may also feed on their mother's feces to help them digest the branches and bark of plants. Elephants are constantly kept near the mother, who protects and teaches him. And you need to learn a lot: drink water, move along with the herd and control the trunk.

Working with a trunk is a very difficult task, constant training, lifting objects, obtaining food and water, greeting relatives, and so on. The mother elephant and members of the entire herd protect the babies from attacks and.

Animals become independent at the age of six years. At 18, females can give birth. Females have babies with a frequency of about once every four years. Males become mature two years later. AT wild nature The life expectancy of animals is about 70 years, in captivity - 80 years. The oldest elephant, who died in 2003, lived to be 86 years old.

In ancient times, there were many different elephants, but gradually they died out. Now only two species live on our planet: African and Indian.

Where do elephants live?

Elephants are named after their habitat: some of them live in Africa, while others are native to India. Regardless of the species, all elephants are listed in the Red Book. This means that there are very few of these beautiful large animals left in the wild, and they need human protection.

African elephants , as the name implies, live in Africa. Both females and males have large tusks - large front teeth that can grow up to two meters in length. Adults often reach a height of 4 meters and weigh more than 700 kg. African elephants are very aggressive animals and almost impossible to train.

Rice. 1. African elephant.

Indian elephants differ from their African counterparts in a more modest size. In height, they reach no more than 3 meters, and their weight does not exceed 500 kg. They live in many Asian countries: India, Thailand, Laos, Ceylon. Indian elephants are very peaceful and friendly animals that are easy to train. It is this type of elephants that can be found in the circus and the zoo. At home, they are used as strong four-legged helpers: elephants drag trees at sawmills, carry heavy loads, and in ancient times they even took part in combat battles.

Rice. 2. Indian elephant.

In India, elephants enjoy special reverence and respect. Moreover - in this country the elephant is a deity. For example, the Hindu god of wisdom, Ganesha, looks like a man with the head of an elephant. Not a single local holiday or major celebration is complete without these mighty animals, lavishly decorated with flowers and bright capes.

Elephant habits

Elephants are herd animals that live in large herds of up to thirty animals in the wild. Elephants alone are very rare.

As a rule, the herd is headed by an experienced old female. Once every few years, female elephants are born, which live with their mother for up to five years. Average age life is like - about 70 years.

Rice. 3. Baby elephant.

Elephants are herbivores that feed on berries, leaves, fruits, grass, and tree bark.

What have we learned?

When studying the topic “Where do elephants live” under the program of the 1st grade of the world around us, we found out on which mainland elephants live and what species of them live on our planet. We learned what is the difference between African and Indian elephants, what are their habits and characteristics.

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A lot is known about elephants, but there are even more secrets related to their life.

This is amazing creatures. They look massive, but gentle and sentimental. They can experience joy and sorrow. This is unusual given their enormous size.

Elephants are one of the largest animals on our planet. Growth reaches four meters, and body weight - twelve tons. The color depends on the habitat. It can be gray, smoky, have a white, pink tint.

The body is covered with thick, tough skin with deep folds. The layer reaches three centimeters. But this does not apply to all parts of the body. On the cheeks, behind the ears, around the mouth, the skin is thin, up to two millimeters thick. On the trunk and legs, it is also sensitive and tender.

Note! Skin covering- most big organ senses that act as a defense. It is part of excretory system controls body temperature.

An amazing organ on the body is the trunk, which appeared as a result of fusion and lengthening of the nose with upper lip. It consists of many small muscles, it has little adipose tissue, no bones. This part of the body is a means of defense. With the help of the trunk, breathing is carried out, it also performs the functions of the mouth and hand. Using it, the animal lifts large objects and small things. At the end of the trunk there is a sensitive outgrowth, with the help of which the animal manipulates small objects, touches.

Note! The trunk plays an important role in the life of an elephant. It is necessary for communication, obtaining food, protection.

Another feature of giants is tusks. These are modified incisors of the upper jaw, growing throughout the life of the animal. They serve as an indicator of age. The longer and larger the tusk, the older the elephant. In adults, it reaches 2.5 m in length, weighs 90 kg. It is used to obtain food, serves as a weapon, protects the trunk. Cutters are a precious material from which luxury items are made.

The elephant also has molars. In total there are from four to six, located on both jaws. As they wear out, the old teeth are replaced by new ones that grow inside the jaw, moving forward over time. Teeth change several times throughout life. With their help, elephants grind very hard plant foods.

Note! When the last teeth are erased, the lone animal dies. He has nothing else to chew and grind food. The elephant, which is in the herd, is helped by relatives.

Separately, it is worth noting the ears. Although giants have rather delicate hearing, the main purpose of the ears is to cool the body. From their inside there are numerous blood vessels. During strokes, the blood cools. She, in turn, spreads coolness throughout the body. Therefore, individuals do not die from overheating.

Elephants are muscular and strong legs. Under the skin, on the sole of the foot, there is a gelatinous, springy mass that increases the footprint. With its help, animals move almost silently.

The tail is almost the same length as the legs. The tip is clasped with stiff hairs that help drive away annoying insects.

Animals are good swimmers. They like to splash in the water, jump, frolic. They can hold out for a long time in it without touching the bottom with their feet.

Where do elephants live? Types, differences between them

There are two types: Asian, they are also Indian, and African. There are no Australian elephants. The Asian range is almost the entire territory of South Asia:

China;
Thailand;
south and northeast India;
Laos;
Vietnam;
Malaysia;
island of Sri Lanka.

Animals like to settle in the tropics and subtropics, where there are dense shrubs and bamboo thickets. In the cold season, they are forced to seek food in the steppes.

African giants prefer savannah and dense rainforests central and West Africa, live in the territory:

Senegal;
Namibia;
Zimbabwe;
Kenya;
Republic of the Congo;
Guinea;
Sudan;
Somalia;
Zambia.

Most are forced to live in nature reserves and national parks, besides, they prefer to avoid deserts, where there is practically no vegetation and water bodies. Elephants living in the wild are often the prey of poachers.

In spite of great resemblance, there are some differences:

African elephants are much larger and taller than their Asian counterparts.
All African individuals have tusks; Asian females do not.
At Indian elephants back of the body above the level of the head.
African ears have a larger span than Asian ones.
African trunks are thinner than those of Indian relatives.
It is almost impossible to tame an African animal, and an Indian elephant is easy to train and domesticate.

Note! When crossing these two species, it will not be possible to obtain offspring. This also speaks of their differences at the genetic level.

The number of elephants living in the wild is rapidly decreasing. They need protection, they are listed in the Red Book.

What do elephants eat in their natural habitat and captivity?

Elephants are herbivores, eating only plant foods. To maintain body weight, they need to consume vegetation in large quantities(up to 300 kg per day). Most day the animals are busy eating food. The diet depends entirely on the location and season (rainy or dry).

AT natural environment habitat elephants eat leaves and bark of trees, rhizomes, fruits of wild fruits, herbs. They love the salt they dig out of the ground. They do not bypass plantations, where they enjoy enjoying agricultural crops.

In zoos and circuses, these giants are fed mainly on hay, which animals eat in large quantities. The diet includes fruits, root crops, vegetables, tree branches. They prefer flour products, cereals, salt.

All individuals, regardless of species and location, love water and always try to be close to water bodies.

Elephant breeding. How many years do they live?

In nature, females and males live separately. When the female elephant is ready to mate, she releases pheromones and emits loud sounds calling males. It matures by the age of 12, and from 16 it is ready to bear offspring. Males mature a little later, secrete containing certain chemical substances urine, letting the females know that they are ready to mate. Male individuals also make deafening sounds and temperamentally achieve females, arranging mating battles. When both elephants are ready to mate, they leave the herd for a while.

Depending on the species, pregnancy lasts from eighteen to twenty-two months. The birth of offspring occurs in the environment of a group that protects the female from possible dangers. Usually one cub is born, very rarely two. After a few hours, the baby elephant is already on his feet and sucking his mother's milk. It quickly adapts and after a short period of time it already travels calmly with a group of elephants, grabbing its mother's tail for fidelity.

Average duration animal life depends on the species:

savanna and forest elephants live up to seventy years;
The maximum life span of Indian elephants is 48 years.

The factor influencing life expectancy is the presence of teeth. As soon as the last incisors are erased, the animal is threatened with death from exhaustion.

Dangers:

cubs are easy prey for predators;
insufficient amount of water and food;
animals can become victims of poachers.

Elephants living in the wild live longer than their domesticated counterparts. Because of wrong conditions content giants begin to get sick, which often leads to death.

Note! The average life expectancy of an animal in captivity is three times shorter than that of its relatives living in the natural environment.

Enemies in nature

Among animals, elephants have no enemies, they are practically invulnerable. Even lions are wary of attacking a healthy individual. Potential victims for wild animals are cubs, who are protected by adults during danger. They create a protective ring from their bodies, in the middle of it are the kids. Sick elephants that have strayed from the herd may also be attacked by predators.

The main enemy is a man with a gun. But if the animal feels danger, it can even kill him. With all the bulkiness, the giant has a speed of up to 40 km / h. And if he decided to attack, then the opponent has practically no chance to stay alive.

Elephants are intelligent mammals. They have excellent memory. Domesticated individuals are good-natured and patient. These animals are often found on the coats of arms of states. In some countries, for their murder, the death penalty. In Thailand, this is a sacred animal, it is treated with respect.

The elephant is the largest land animal on Earth, although the Indian elephant is slightly smaller than its African cousin. In this collection you will love interesting photos elephants, as well as learn about a number of interesting facts associated with this animal

Elephants are amazing animals. They are very fond of water, they love to "take a shower" by watering themselves with their multifunctional trunk. The trunk for an elephant is necessary, thanks to him he not only takes a shower. The elephant's trunk is long nose with various functions. Thanks to him, he breathes, smells, drinks, grabs food, and even makes sounds :) The trunk alone contains approximately 100,000 muscles. Indian elephants have a small, finger-like protrusion at the end of their trunk that they can use to pick up some small objects (from African elephant there are two similar "fingers") Also, elephants have very powerful tusks. Ivory is highly valued by humans, so many elephants are killed for their tusks. Now the trade in ivory is illegal, but still it has not been completely eliminated.

A third of the elephant tusks are hidden in the body of the animal, and there are practically no elephants with large tusks now, since they were all destroyed by ivory hunters. Tusks grow throughout the life of the animal, the older the elephant - the more tusks

According to approximate calculations of scientists, the elephant eats at least 16 hours a day, absorbing about 45-450 kilograms of various vegetation during all this time. Depending on the weather conditions, the elephant drinks 100-300 liters of water a day

Elephants are usually kept in herds, where all individuals are related. They know how to greet each other, diligently take care of their offspring, and always remain faithful to the herd. If one of the members of the herd dies, other elephants are very sad. Elephants are also one of those animals that can laugh.

Elephants have an average lifespan equal to that of humans, usually 70 years.

Elephants are called thick-skinned animals, since the thickness of the skin of an elephant can reach 2.5 centimeters.

Elephants have a very good memory. They remember people who treated them well or badly, as well as places in which certain events happened to them.

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.

It is also surprising that such a clumsy-looking animal can develop a fairly decent speed. An elephant can run at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour

Elephants sleep little, only a few hours a day, usually no more than 4 hours.

Elephants are also very good swimmers, there have been cases when an elephant swam a distance of more than 70 kilometers.

Elephants feed on tree roots, grass, fruits, and bark. They eat a lot. An adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of food per day. These giants practically do not sleep, they walk long distances to get their own food. Having a baby elephant is considered a serious commitment. Elephants have the longest pregnancy of any other mammal - almost 22 months. Female elephants usually give birth to one baby elephant once every four years. At birth, a baby elephant already weighs approximately 200 pounds (91 kilograms) and is about a meter tall.

The assertion that elephants have 4 knees is erroneous, although it is very common.

These animals are also very big brain- Its weight can reach 6 kilograms. No wonder elephants are on the list