Elephants
by Krysta CardinaleElephants are the largest land mammal still living on earth today. The Elephantidea (or elephants) are the only living pachyderm left in the family of the order Proboscidea. Pachyderm means “thick-skinned” animal. Information on elephants reveals three living species left including two types of African elephants, and the Asian elephant (previously known as the Indian elephant). This mammal is very social. Females spend most of their life in a family-like group led by the eldest female. The males on the other hand, live mostly solitary lives.
Physical Characteristics
• The Elephant’s Trunk- The elephant’s trunk is formed from the union of the nose and upper lip. It is constructed of thousands of tiny muscles that give it not only incredible power, but also the ability to perform precise and delicate movements. African elephants have two almost finger-like projections at the end of the trunk, while the Asian Elephant’s trunk only has one. The elephant’s trunk is used for tearing up their food and then eating it, to suck up water and then blow it into their mouth, to pick up things, and for other things like social interactions.
• Tusks- The tusks are the upper incisors of an elephant, they never stop growing, and they are irreplaceable; an elephant needs their tusks to survive. One tusk is usually dominant or used more often, and becomes more worn down from the constant use. This mammal was often hunted, and eventually put under protection because their tusks are made out of ivory, and this is very valuable material to humans.
• Teeth- Throughout the life of an elephant, it has about 28 teeth. The two upper incisors (or tusks), 12 premolars, and 12 molars. The rotation of the teeth is unlike other mammals and the teeth are replaced during different periods. They have a horizontal progression for replacement, the new teeth growing in the back and then getting pushed forward from new ones growing.
• Skin- This mammal is known for its thick skin. It is very tough and is about one inch in thickness. On the inside of the ears and around the mouth the skin is actually extremely thin. The Asian elephant is known to have more thin hair on their skin than Africans. Especially the Asian baby elephants that are coated with a brown to red fuzz. Despite being thick the skin is very sensitive. An elephant will often wallow in water or cover itself in dirt or mud to protect it from the sun.
Information on Elephant’s Mating
For female elephants mating cannot occur until the age between nine and twelve, and they can produce baby elephants until the age of sixty. Females give birth about every five years, and their pregnancy period is about 22 months. The labor usually lasts for about 11 hours. Baby elephants are born at a weight of about 225 pounds and gain about 2 pounds a day after that. In the wild, baby elephants have “allomothers,” which are other females that help the mother protect her young. Baby elephants are raised in a family-like group.
Eating Habits
The elephant is an herbivore mammal. Their diet consists of mainly grasses, leaves, roots, twigs, and some fruits and flowers. They spend a majority of the day collecting and eating food. The elephant can only digest 40% of what it eats so they have to consume large amounts of food throughout the day, usually 300 to 600 pounds.
African Elephants
The two species of African elephants are the African bush elephant, and the African forest elephant. They are found in several different parts of Africa and have a population of about 600,000. Even though the population of these elephants is stable in some areas, overall it has dropped drastically from 1.3 million in 1979. At first African elephants were though to be two subspecies within one species, but DNA has proven that the two are separate and distinct species.
In the Savanna, the largest ones are found. The reach a height of about 13 feet at the shoulders and weight around 15,400 pounds. The Savanna elephant, or bush elephant, is usually located in marshes or grasslands. They roam south of the Sahara Desert. Average males weight about 13,200 pounds and have a height of 10 feet at the shoulders. The females are typically much smaller.
The African forest elephant is lesser in numbers and can be distinguished from the Savanna elephant by its smaller and rounder ears, and thinner and straighter tusks. The typical Forest elephant weights 10,000 pounds and is about 10 feet in height at the shoulders. They are usually found in central and western Africa in the dense rainforests.
Asian Elephants
Generally speaking, Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants. It has significantly smaller ears, and only the males have external tusks. They typically have large spots of discoloration on their skin. There are several subspecies or races of the Asian elephant. There is the Sri Lankan, the Mainland, and the Sumatran. The Sri Lankan Asian elephant is only found in Sri Lanka and has a population of only 3,000 to 4,500. Males can weight up to 12,000 pounds and be 11 feet tall. Both males and females usually have larger spots of discoloration than any other subspecies. Their ears, trunk, belly, and face usually have pink speckled spots on them and the males have large cranium bulges. The Mainland Asian elephant makes up the largest portion of the Asians at a number about 36,000. They are typically a light gray color with discoloration on the trunk and ears. The males will be about 11 feet tall and weight about 11,000 pounds. They are native to all eleven Asian countries ranging from India to Indonesia. The smallest and third subspecies would be the Sumatran Asian elephant. This type is very light gray in color and also has the least amount of discoloration. There population size is said to be about 33,000 to 55,000. Males only reach a height of about 10 feet and weight up to 9,000 pounds. They can only be found in Sumatra in forested or wooded regions.
