Elephant habitat. Asian elephants: description, features, lifestyle, nutrition and interesting facts. Are elephants afraid of mice?

• KEY FACTS
• Name: African elephant (Loxodonta africana)
• Range: Africa, southern Sahara desert
• Number of herd formed by females: 6-8
• Pregnancy period: 22 months
• Gaining independence: 10-12 years

Lined up in a row, elephants make a transition through the savannah to Samburu (Kenya). African elephants live in matriarchal communities headed by an elder - the mother of the clan.

Elephants are the largest land mammals whose social behavior deserves special attention.

Elephants live in matriarchal herds, in which they are very strong family ties. Animals are famous for their complex forms of behavior, they are even credited with the ability to express such human emotions as joy or sadness. in mythology and fiction elephants symbolize wisdom and intelligence.

To find out how true this idea is, we propose to consider the features of the structure of the herd of elephants and the behavior of animals in it. Majority scientific works devoted to the behavior of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). We will also focus on it, and also mention social behavior Asian (or Indian) elephant (Elephas maximus), which is in many ways similar to social life African look.

One of the features social organization elephants is the dominance in the group of females. The herd is a group of elephants led by the oldest and most experienced female elephant - the head of the clan. The members of the herd are usually the female relatives of the head elephant and their children. Usually in such a group from 6 to 12 animals, although it happens that the herd consists of 20 individuals.

This friendly family of elephants just took a mud bath in Addo National Park in South Africa. The age difference between the kids does not exceed four years.

The herd obeys the leadership of the head elephant. She chooses the best pastures and water sources, and also decides on behavior in a dangerous situation: if she runs away, then the herd follows her, but if the main elephant decides to fight back, all other animals will join her.

Family bonds

In the herd, female elephants maintain very close relationships. They help each other during childbirth and take care of the babies with the whole herd. If there is a woman in labor in the herd, the head elephant takes care of her and acts as a midwife. After birth, the mother and helper help the baby elephant to his feet. This is very important, because the newborn is defenseless against predators. If a baby elephant that has not learned to walk is in danger, adults will not be able to carry it to safety. During puberty, female elephants show a special interest in baby elephants. It is believed that this behavior is part of the preparation for their future motherhood.

A nice female elephant often continues to lead the herd even after she can no longer have her own offspring. AT wild nature elephants can live up to 70 years. Adult individuals are so large that, perhaps, they have no other enemies than humans. The lifespan of elephants is limited by the condition of their teeth. When the teeth become unusable, the animal cannot eat and dies of hunger.

After the death of the elder elephant, the head of the herd usually becomes her eldest daughter. If there is not enough food for a large flock or living space, sometimes it is divided into two subgroups. Sometimes between the members of the herd there is something like a "clash of personalities", and they can no longer get along with each other. In this case, one of the conflicting females leaves with her offspring and forms a new herd, where she will be the main elephant. Females remain in the herd all their lives, and males leave it at the age of 10-12 years.

In the Masai Mara, Kenya, an African elephant calf that previously fed on its mother's milk tastes solid food for the first time. The childhood of elephants lasts a long time: they become adults only at 10-12 years old.

This happens gradually: young males spend more and more time on the borders of the range of the herd, until they eventually leave. Males separated from the herd form not large groups(3-4 individuals), however, unlike female herds, these communities are short-lived, often break up and change their composition. Groups of males usually cover much greater distances compared to herds of elephants. This is primarily due to the absence of young males in the communities. Adult males live alone and only in mating season join the females for mating. At the end of this season, sexually mature elephants usually return to their former herd.

mating season

Elephants reach sexual maturity at the age of 15 years. Elephants are in heat for several days, about once every two months, during which time they respond to male courtship. In males at the same age, a black secret begins to stand out from the gland located between the ear and the eye. Such secretions appear annually and usually last for three months. At this time, the level of hormones in males rises, they become more excitable and aggressive. Scientists have not yet reached a consensus on whether a similar phenomenon is observed in the Asian elephant and suggest that this feature is unique to the African species.

The signal for the beginning of the breeding season for elephants is the appearance of a secret in males. When this happens, the male goes in search of a partner ready to mate. Courtship can last from 2-3 days to several weeks: the elephant is everywhere - follows the female elephant until she is ready to mate. In a dispute over a female, other elephants usually give way to the male who is ready for the mating season.

Mom protects a small African elephant from adversity. If he is in serious danger, he will hide between the legs of the elephant.

Newborn baby elephants

Pregnancy of females lasts 22 months. A newborn baby elephant depends on the mother in everything, although it seems very large and well developed. For several months, he does not leave the elephant-hee a single step, and if he feels danger, he hides under her stomach.

An elephant calf feeds on its mother's milk until it reaches the age of two. It happens that such feeding lasts longer, but by the age of 5 it must be completed. A baby needs to learn a lot from his mother, for example. how to use the trunk to get food, drink and take care of yourself. Offspring appear at intervals of 4 years, and sometimes less often. During this time, the female helps one baby elephant to become independent, and only then can pay attention to another newborn.

The elephant continues to learn a lot from the mother and other adults even after the feeding is stopped. Because of the hunting of elephants and the poaching of their tusks, baby elephants often find themselves in a difficult situation: if the main female elephant and other adult animals die, the kids will never master the necessary skills. In hunting areas, young orphans often gather in large groups. The presence of such numerous concentrations of young elephants indicates that these animals are experiencing serious difficulties in this area.

Young female elephants prefer to stay with their mother longer than male elephants. The latter are more active and disposed to communicate with other adult elephants, even if they belong to other herds. Perhaps that is why mature female elephants most often remain in their own herd, and males who have reached puberty leave.

Indian elephants, led by trainers, carry logs during a performance in honor of the King of Thailand. Although between African and Asian species there are some differences (especially in the size of the ears), many of their habits are the same.

It is not surprising that with such a high social organization, elephants are very sociable. They use a whole arsenal of sounds: from a loud roar that they make with their trunk, to quiet grunts and rumblings. It is also noteworthy that elephants use unique view communication using the so-called. infrasound - low-frequency waves that are not audible to humans. It is known that only whales and elephants have this way of communication.

The messages transmitted by infrasound include a warning of danger and signals indicating that they are ready to mate. This ability has evolved among elephants as a way to maintain contact with each other in the wide expanses of the African savannas. Females are ready to mate within a short period, which is why males should find out about this as soon as possible.

Although elephants are nearsighted, they also use visual cues to communicate. The trunk, ears and tail help them in this. For example, an aggressive elephant usually sticks out its ears, which makes it seem much larger and more threatening than it actually is. The waving of the trunk also indicates that the elephant is not in the best mood. A very important element of communication in elephants is touch. For example, elephants use their trunks to examine each other and even taste food from a friend's mouth. However, most often this is done by a baby elephant who has stopped receiving milk and is learning to eat solid food from the mother's mouth.

emotional animals

Since ancient times, elephants have been credited with emotions similar to human ones. Indeed, female elephants show exceptional concern for other members of the herd. For example, if their brother is sick, injured or unable to walk, the female elephants will try not to leave him a single step and try to help him in every possible way. This may take several days until the patient either recovers or dies. When an elephant dies, you can see how other members of the herd are worried and worried.

A female African elephant with her three calves at a watering hole in the Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. For these amazing creatures only weapons pose a significant threat.

Many experts consider this behavior an expression of grief. Weeping elephants were also often observed, which suffered in captivity. In the wild, tears have not been seen in elephants.

Elephants have also been known to take an interest in carcasses. dead relatives- even to the dried up skeletons of long-dead animals. They usually study long and hard. dead body trunk and sensitive pads of the feet. If one of the representatives of the herd dies, the elephants begin to walk very slowly and keep silence. Sometimes they cover the body of a deceased fellow with branches and leaves. Animal observations indicate that elephants often return to the place where their relative died. This behavior of animals is interpreted by many as a manifestation of grief. If a baby elephant dies or is stillborn, the mother usually stays close to the body for several days, gently petting the baby, trying to get a response. During this period, the elephant does not eat anything, her reactions are weak or completely absent.

If there are members of the herd who are temporarily not living together, then they rejoice and perform an act known as the "greeting ceremony". At the same time, elephants spin in one place, clap their ears, emit loud sounds, and also defecate: in this way they give the former members of the herd a familiar odorous family signal. Elephants are also among those few species of animals that, even as adults, do not deny themselves the pleasure of indulging in games from time to time: they frolic, playfully attacking each other and making loud noises.

• Did you know?
• The head elephant is the largest, oldest and wisest elephant in the herd. Usually her age is over 60 years.
• Elephants are such smart animals that instincts do not play an important role in their development: they master most of the skills on their own, taking an example from their elders. Therefore, a baby elephant remains with its mother until adolescence, like a human child. The elephant's brain has a complex structure, weighs 4 times more than a human and is the largest among all land mammals.
• Elephant ears are perfectly adapted to pick up low-frequency vibrations. This animal can hear infrasound within 4 km. And at dusk, when the conditions are most favorable, the infrasound emitted by elephants can cover a distance of up to 10 km.



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) skin of brown or gray color 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.

Such a structure makes an elephant the only mammal who can't 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.

Elephant's trunk is amazing and unique organ formed by the 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)

differs in gigantic 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 rounded 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. hallmark of this species of elephants - 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 (for example, ficus in India), wild fruits, marula and even. 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, 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, beets, watermelons, boiled, oats, bran, willow branches, bread, as well as bananas and other crops, a favorite delicacy of elephants. For a day in the wild, 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 to each other regular time, males arrange mating battles, 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.

Elephants are the largest land mammals on our planet. by the most famous species The elephant families are African and Asian (Indian) elephants. They live on different continents, but lead almost the same lifestyle.

Where do elephants live?

African elephant habitat

Once upon a time African elephants inhabited almost the entire African continent. The habitat of elephants was stretched from north to south of the entire mainland. As early as the 6th century AD, the northern population of elephants was completely exterminated.

In the 21st century, the African elephant population has survived in the southern, western, eastern and central countries Africa, namely: Namibia, Tanzania, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa, Mali, Botswana, Ethiopia, Chad, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana, Niger, Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda , Liberia, Cameroon, Benin, Sierra Leone, Togo, Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic Congo, Sudan, Eritrea, Gabon, Swaziland, CAR, Equatorial Guinea. Most of the livestock in these countries lives in the territories of nature reserves and national parks. Leaving the reserves, elephants often become the prey of poachers.

African elephants live in different landscapes, avoiding only deserts and tropical forests. The main priorities for choosing places to live for elephants are the following criteria: the availability of food resources, water and shade.

Read about the diet of elephants in the article.

Where does the Indian elephant live?

Indian The elephant was distributed throughout South Asia. AT wild environment he lived along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as far as the Malay Peninsula. Some herds were distributed even near the Himalayas and along the Yangtze River in China. In addition to mainland Asia, elephants lived on the islands of Sumatra, Sri Lanka and Java.

Now Asiatic the elephant is found in the wild only partially in Northeast and South India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia (Borneo), Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia (Sumatra), China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar, Brunei and Laos.

Unlike their African relatives, Indian elephants prefer to settle in tropical and subtropical forests with dense shrubs and bamboo thickets. Sometimes in the cold season they also go out into the steppes, but this is possible only in reserves, since the rest of the steppes have become agricultural land. AT warm time elephants migrate along the forest slopes to the Himalayas and are found at an altitude of up to 3500 meters above sea level.

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 fusion 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 Indian elephants decreased sharply.

Read also on Vovet.ru:

1. Animals of Australia. What animals live in Australia?
2. Jungle animals of Brazil. What animals live in the jungles of Brazil?

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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 family relations(most often it is an old 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 the southern part North America, was the largest mammoth: 4.5 meters (15 ft) 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 slightly larger than modern elephants, and were protected from the cold by a long, dense, reddish coat and a subcutaneous layer of fat 76 millimeters (3 inches) thick.

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 domesticated and are currently used as vehicle in difficult terrain, for carrying heavy objects such as logs, as well as at festivals and in the circus.

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. 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.

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, more a long 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, big head on a short neck, thick limbs, huge ears and 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 the central and West 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 a big role in this ability. More detailed description elephant trunk you will find 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 on the hind limbs, three claws and four on the front. The Indians have four in the back and five in 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 elephants
. elephant anatomy
. Why does an elephant need a trunk and tusks?
. Sensitive Organs
. elephant body
. The reproductive system of a female elephant
. Reproductive system of males
. Elephant digestive system
. How many fingers does an elephant have?
. Elephant mating
. elephant legs

The elephant is the largest land mammal. To date, there are three types of these animals: the Indian elephant, the African savanna and the African forest. The maximum recorded weight of an elephant is 12,240 kg, with average weight the bodies of these animals are about 5 tons. What else do you know Interesting Facts about elephants? Want to know more about these animals? Then read on.

How long does an elephant live?

The life expectancy of an elephant is influenced by the conditions of its habitat. Under natural conditions, animals are constantly faced with dangers, in particular with drought and poachers who kill elephants for valuable tusks. Up to 8-10 years old, small elephants cannot defend themselves on their own, and in the event of the death of their mother, they die from predators. in nature? The average is 60 to 70 years.

At the same time, centenarians are known among animals living in captivity. The oldest elephant named Lin Wang lived 86 years (1917-2003). He participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War, then in the construction of monuments, performed in a circus, but lived most of his life in the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan. Lin Wang was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the elephant that lived the longest in captivity.

How long does an elephant's pregnancy last?

Interestingly, the female elephant is capable of conception for only a few days a year, despite the fact that mating between animals can occur. all year round. Surprising fact is and that, On this basis, large mammals are champions among all animals on earth. Pregnancy of the female lasts 22 months, that is, almost 2 years.

After this period, an elephant calf is born, which can hardly be called small. The weight of a baby elephant is 120 kg. Childbirth usually takes place without complications. Babies are born blind and often suck their trunk like a human - thumb. But no matter how strong a rather helpless animal is born, which needs protection from predators. Only at the age of 15 does the animal become an adult and can create its own family.

How much does an elephant eat?

Under natural habitat conditions, the elephant's diet includes leaves and grass containing a high percentage of moisture. Depending on the dry and rainy season, it can also feed on the bark and fruits of various trees and shrubs. Considering the size of the animal, it is not at all surprising how much an elephant eats. Moreover, he spends up to 16 hours on this. Every day the animal eats from 45 to 450 kg of plant food, on average - about 300 kg.

This is how much an elephant eats in natural conditions. In captivity, their diet includes hay (30 kg), carrots (10 kg) and bread (5-10 kg). They can also be given grain and various mineral-vitamin complexes that make up for the lack useful substances. Elephants drink about 100-300 liters per day. If the animal begins to drink more, as a rule, this indicates a disease. With tuberculosis, an elephant can drink up to 600 liters of water per day.

Trunk, tusks and ears

What is known about the elephant's trunk? Here are some interesting facts about this organ:

• the trunk is part of the elephant's nose, but does not have a nasal bone;
• long and flexible trunk consists of 150 thousand various muscles who manage it;
• with the help of a trunk, an elephant can suck up up to 8 liters of water at a time, in order to then send it to the mouth;
• animals use the elephant trunk only to collect water, but do not drink it (if they tried to drink through it, this would cause the same cough reflex as in humans);
• with the help of a trunk, an elephant can lift up to 350 tons of food;
• trunk length is about 150 cm;
• thanks to the trunk, elephants can easily swim across deep rivers - this organ serves as their built-in oxygen tube, the tip of which they hold above the water, while their body is completely immersed in the river.

For digging and lifting weights, elephants use not only the trunk, but also the tusks. The length of the tusks of African elephants can reach 2.5 m, and weight - 100 kg. During sleep, the old elephant puts his tusks on the branches of trees or shrubs, but in captivity he puts them in the openings of the lattice or rests against the wall.

One ear of an elephant weighs 85 kg. This part of their body is an excellent thermoregulator. When the air temperature reaches 40 ° C and the animal is hot, it actively swings its ears like propellers. In the rain and strong wind the elephant, on the contrary, tightly presses his ears to his head.

Are elephants afraid of mice?

The statement that elephants are afraid of mice appeared in ancient times thanks to the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder. In one of his writings, he wrote that elephants are larger than other animals and rats.

Modern scientists have completely refuted the discovery of their "colleagues". Their research proved that an elephant and a mouse could well live side by side, if not for one "but". The fact is that the elephant, like a slow animal, is annoyed by any sudden movements in its direction. Even if a dog just runs or a snake crawls quickly, this will make him very worried. If the elephant is shown a mouse peacefully sitting on his hand, he will not react to it in any way, and if it crawls into the trunk, then the elephant will simply shake it out with a sharp movement.

Thus, scientists have proved that the assertion that elephants are afraid of mice is just a myth.

smart animals

Elephants are self-aware and can see their reflection in a mirror, just like dolphins and some monkeys. Animals are among the smartest on earth.

Interesting Elephant Facts That Prove Them high level intelligence:

• Their brain weighs 5 kg, which is more than that of other animals.
• Elephants are able to express any emotion, including joy, grief, compassion. This animal can save a trapped dog even at the cost of its own life.
• The elephant has unique abilities to learning, he repeats the commands of people and reproduces them.
• Elephants use 470 stable signals to communicate. Using ultrasound, they warn each other of dangers.
• Elephants observe burial rites. They bury the deceased member of the herd, covered with stones, after which they sit in place for several days, expressing grief.

Some more interesting facts about elephants

These are not all the features of the life of elephants that can surprise you. Below are some more interesting facts about elephants:

• An elephant's sense of smell is 4 times stronger than that of a bloodhound, thanks to a million receptor cells located in upper cavity animal's nose.
• Elephants, on the other hand, are not as sharp. They can see the object only at a distance of 20-25 m. In ancient times, hunters sat on the back of a tamed elephant and penetrated into the middle of the herd, looking for a victim.
• An elephant's heart weighs 20 kg and beats at a rate of 30 beats per minute.
• Elephants change their teeth 6-7 times in a lifetime.
• Elephants are both right-handed and left-handed. This is determined by the tusk with which the animal prefers to work.
• Elephants sleep an average of 2-3 hours a day, and most of the time they spend looking for food and eating it.