What an elephant. African elephant animal (lat. Loxodonta). What are elephants: types and differences

The elephant is the largest animal on Earth in terms of land. The African elephant has been known to mankind since ancient times. Despite its huge size, this African giant is easily tamed and has high intelligence. African elephants since ancient times, they have been used to carry heavy loads and even as fighting animals during wars. They easily remember commands and are very trainable. In the wild, they have practically no enemies, and even lions and large crocodiles do not dare to attack adults.

Description of the African Elephant

the largest land mammals on our planet. It is much larger than the Asian elephant and in size can reach 4.5-5 meters in height, and its weight is about 7-7.5 tons. But there are also real giants: the largest African elephant that was discovered weighed 12 tons, and its body was about 7 meters long.

Range, habitats

Previously, African elephants were distributed throughout Africa. Now, with the advent of civilization and poaching, their habitat has been significantly reduced. Most of the elephants live in the territory national parks Kenya, Tanzania and Congo. During the dry season, they travel hundreds of kilometers in search of fresh water and nutrition. In addition to national parks, they are found in the wild in Namibia, Senegal, Zimbabwe and the Congo.

Currently, the habitat of African elephants is rapidly decreasing due to the fact that more and more land is being given away for construction and agricultural needs. In some habitual habitats, the African elephant is no longer found. Because of the value of ivory, elephants have a hard time, they often become victims of poachers. The main and only enemy of elephants is man.

The most common myth about elephants is that they allegedly bury their dead relatives in certain places. Scientists have spent a lot of effort and time, but have not found any special places where the bodies or remains of animals would be concentrated. Such places don't really exist.

Food. African elephant diet

African elephants are truly insatiable creatures, adult males can eat up to 150 kilograms of plant food per day, females about 100. It takes them 16-18 hours a day to absorb food, the rest of the time they spend looking for it, it takes 2-3 to sleep hours. This is one of the most sleepless animals in the world.

There is a prejudice that African elephants are very fond of peanuts and spend a lot of time looking for them, but this is not so. Of course, elephants have nothing against such a delicacy, and in captivity they willingly eat it. But still in nature it is not eaten.

Grass and shoots of young trees are their main food; fruits are eaten as a treat. With their gluttony, they damage agricultural land, farmers scare them away, since it is forbidden to kill elephants and they are protected by law. In search of food, these giants of Africa spend most day. Cubs completely switch to plant foods upon reaching three years before that, they feed on their mother's milk. After about 1.5-2 years, they gradually begin to receive adult food in addition to mother's milk. They drink a lot of water, about 180-230 liters per day.

Second myth says that old males who have left the herd become killers of people. Of course, there are cases of elephant attacks on humans, but this is not connected with a specific behavioral model of these animals.

The myth that elephants are afraid of rats and mice, as they gnaw their legs, also remains a myth. Of course, elephants are not afraid of such rodents, but they still do not have much love for them.

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. Trunk performs a series important functions, while providing the animal with breathing, smelling, touching and grabbing food. Through the trunk, elephants protect themselves, water themselves, eat, communicate and even raise their offspring. Another "attribute" of appearance is the tusks of an elephant. They grow throughout life: the more powerful the tusks, the older their owner.

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

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

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

Elephant species

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

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

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

African Elephant (Savanna Elephant)

• • forest elephant(Loxodonta cyclotis)

has a small stature (up to 2.5 m at the withers) and 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)

He is smaller than the Savannah, but has a more powerful physique 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. Indian or asian elephant 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 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, ending in injuries and mutilations, are not uncommon. 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.

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.

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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 types 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 proboscis 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 forests until primitive people did not come to the continent (approximately 18,000 years ago).

Elephants (Elephantidae) descended from mastodons in 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 now 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 Asiatic (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, certain types 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 the living conditions of Forest African elephants hinder their study.

Usually, they inhabit impenetrable rainforests 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 Asiatic (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 the living conditions of Forest African 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 in the ground for food, to pick up trash, to fight, and to carry weights 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. The African elephant has three claws on its hind limbs and four on its 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
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. How many fingers does an elephant have?
. Elephant mating
. elephant legs

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 a 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 process at the end of their trunk, which they can use to take some small objects (the African elephant has two such "fingers"). Elephants also 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

In our article, we want to talk about the famous giants, which are the second largest land animals. Meet the Asian elephants.

Appearance of animals

The Asian (Indian) elephant is largely different from those individuals that live in Africa. An Indian animal weighs up to five and a half tons. Its height is 2.5-3.5 m. Elephants have fairly modest tusks about one and a half meters long and weighing up to twenty-five kilograms. If the animal simply does not have them, then it is called makhna.

Asian elephants have small ears, pointed and elongated at the ends. They boast a powerful physique. The legs are relatively short and fairly thick. The Indian, or Asiatic, elephant has five hooves on its front limbs, and only four on its hind limbs. Its strong, powerful body is guarded and protected by thick, wrinkled skin. On average, its thickness is 2.5 centimeters. The softest thin areas are inside the ears and near the mouth.

The color of animals can vary from dark gray to brown. Albino Asian elephants are very rare. Such unique animals are highly valued in Siam, they are even worshiped there. Their main feature is light skin, on which there are lighter spots. Albino eyes are also unusual, they have a light yellow tint. There are even specimens that have pale red skin and whitish hair growing on their backs.

The lack of tusks Asian elephants and their small size in those individuals who have them saved the animals from ruthless destruction, as happened in Africa.

habitats

Wild Asian elephants live in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Borneo, and also in Brunei. They live in national parks, remote areas and nature reserves. Elephants are very fond of ruining rice plantations, as well as thickets of sugar cane, and picking banana trees. For this reason, they are considered pests. Agriculture, which is why they prefer to push them to distant territories, so as not to lose crops.

Indian elephants adore subtropical and tropical forests (broad-leaved) with dense thickets of shrubs and bamboo. In summer they prefer to climb mountains. In extreme heat, the giants flap their ears, thus cooling their bodies.

Asian elephant: lifestyle

It's hard to believe, but these are very clever animals. With such a significant weight, they balance perfectly, although they look extremely clumsy. Despite their impressive size, they famously climb the forested slopes of the mountains to a height of 3.6 thousand meters. Of course, without seeing it, it's hard to imagine. Special structure the soles of their feet enable them to travel safely over swampy areas, although they are so careful that they will periodically check the reliability of the ground under their feet with strong blows trunk.

The Asian elephant is the second largest land animal, which causes genuine respect for him. Females live in small groups of up to ten adults and young. different ages. The leader is the oldest female, who cares about the safety of her entire herd.

Females tend to help each other. For example, when one of them begins to give birth, all the others stand around her and do not move away until the cub appears and gets to its feet. In such a simple way, they protect the mother and baby from attacks by predators. Newborn baby elephants usually stay near their mother, but they can easily eat from another female who has milk.

The female gives birth to only one cub weighing up to one hundred kilograms. Pregnancy lasts 22 months. Babies are born with small tusks, which fall out in their second year of life.

Having reached the age of ten or sixteen years, the males leave their mother forever, but the females remain in the herd. In some ways, the way of life of these animals is similar to the human. By the age of 12-16, elephants are able to reproduce, but they become adults only by the age of twenty.

How long do they live?

Elephants can be safely attributed to centenarians. They live 60-80 years. An interesting fact is that under wildlife individuals die not from age and disease, but simply from hunger. This situation is due to the fact that in their entire life their teeth change only four times. All renewals take place until the age of forty, and later they no longer grow. The old ones are gradually falling into disrepair. And now, by the age of seventy, the teeth become completely bad, the animal can no longer chew them, and therefore loses every opportunity to eat.

Indian, or Asian, elephant: food

I must say that the diet of wild elephants depends entirely on where they live. In general, animals prefer ficus leaves. an important role is played by the fact that the season is dry or rainy.

Elephants are very fond of all kinds of herbs, leaves, fruits, they even eat the crown of trees, because they draw minerals from it. During the day, the animal eats from 300 to 350 kilograms of grass and leaves. They have a lot of water. Elephants generally prefer marsh plants. But African individuals adore salt, they find it in the ground.

Feeding in captivity

Asian (African) elephants, living in captivity, feed mainly on hay and grass. Animals love sweets. Preference is given to apples, bananas, beets, carrots. Elephants also like flour products, especially cookies and bread. In the zoo, they eat up to thirty kilograms of hay per day, plus another fifteen kilograms of fruits, vegetables, ten kilograms flour products. They can also feed animals with cereals, for example, giving up to ten kilograms of grain. Be sure to include vitamins and salt in the diet of elephants.

Behavioral features

Elephants are excellent swimmers and easily overcome long distances. Animals sleep only four hours, this is quite enough for them. Elephants need water, and they drink a lot of it (up to 200 liters per day). As a rule, for this they go to the source, they only quench their thirst according to seniority. Sometimes babies get just dirty slurry instead of water. This happens during a period of intense heat, when the reservoirs dry up. But during periods when there is a lot of liquid, elephants bathe, watering each other with their trunks. Maybe that's how they play.

Frightened elephants run fast enough, reaching speeds of up to 50 kilometers an hour. At the same time, they raise their tails up, thus giving a signal of danger. Animals have a highly developed sense of smell and hearing.

Indian and have absolutely different character. Asian individuals are very friendly and treat people well. In general, they are much easier to tame. It is these elephants that help people transport goods and perform heavy work in the southeastern countries of Asia. If you have ever seen an elephant in a circus, then do not doubt that this is an Asian animal.

Absolutely all varieties of elephants are endangered, and therefore are listed in the Red Book.

You probably don't know that:

1. When swimming underwater, elephants use their trunks to breathe.
2. At the end of the trunk of an Asian animal there is one finger-like outgrowth. With its help, the elephant eats.
3. AT Hard times animals can cry like people, while they make low sounds that we cannot hear.
4. Elephants can distinguish each other's voices at a distance of 19 kilometers.
5. These are the only animals that bury their dead relatives. Having found the remains, the herd together hides the bones in the ground.
6. The trunk is very important for the animal, it eats with it, breathes and sniffs, takes out the leaves of trees. Injuring him, the elephant may die of hunger.

Instead of an afterword

The elephant is an amazing and beautiful animal. Many of his habits are similar to human ones. Not without reason, for many centuries, animals have been and remain faithful helpers of people. In gratitude, we should make every effort so that these cute creatures do not disappear from the face of the Earth.