Elephants - description, species, habitat, nutrition, behavior, reproduction and facts. Elephants and everything about them

Our world is unique and amazing. It is inhabited by creatures of the most different forms and sizes: from high and low, to small and large. All of them can be classified into a variety of categories.

Let's consider the largest representatives in their class that inhabit our Earth.

The largest elephant in the world

One of the animals of the Safari Park in the city of Romat Gan, the official elephant Yossi, who is the elder of the park, recently earned official international recognition. He was recognized as the most big elephant in the world.

So, a special expert was invited to the Safari Park who carefully measured the elephant. Thus, the weight of the largest elephant is very impressive, it was about 6 tons. And the height of the largest elephant is 3 meters 70 centimeters. According to the Yediot Ahront newspaper, the length of the elephant's tail reaches 1 meter, the length of the trunk is 2.5 meters, the length of the ears is 1.2 meters, and the tusks protrude half a meter forward.

The elephant's habitat is the entire territory located in the south of the Sahara Desert.

African elephants are shorter than Indian elephants: the body length of Indian elephants can reach 6 meters 50 centimeters;
in its natural environment habitat, all adult African elephants have no enemies;
all elephants are the only animals that cannot swim;
elephants are the only four-legged animals in which all four legs are equally functional;
all elephants sleep standing up, only small cubs can sleep on the ground, on their sides;
elephants are running faster than a human, they are capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour;
one ear of an adult African elephant can weigh up to 85 kilograms;
The daily diet of an African elephant can be up to 200 liters of water and 300 kilograms of tree leaves and hay;
African elephants are the only animals on Earth that pay a day of remembrance for the dead

The largest whale in the world

The blue whale is the largest whale in the world. It is also called the vomit or blue whale. The body weight of this mammal reaches 150 tons, and its length is 30 meters. Its heart weighs about 1,300 feet (600 kg), making it the largest such organ of any living thing. Also blue whale The volumes of the lungs are also large: they can exceed 3000 liters.

The weight of a blue whale's tongue can reach about 2.8 tons, which is comparable to the weight of an average size asian elephant;
individuals of blue whales usually stay solitary and rarely gather in schools;
Blues reproduce extremely slowly;
The number of blue whales numbers no more than 10 thousand individuals.

The most big crocodile in the world is Cassius Clay, included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most large reptile who lives in captivity. Northern Australia's most famous resident was caught in wildlife 26 years ago. He was settled with the owner of Green Island Farm in Marineland Melanesia.

The crocodile got its name in honor of the legendary boxer Clay Cassius. The body length of the crocodile is 5 meters 48 centimeters; and the weight is a whole ton.

It should be noted that at the end of May of this year, Cassius Clay turned 110 years old. A twenty-kilogram chicken cake was a gift for his birthday.

The biggest bear in the world

The most big bear The most popular species in the world is the Kodiak bear, which lives off the southern coast of Alaska on the islands of the archipelago of the same name. Also Kodiak is one of the most large predators in the world that live on land.

These animals moved from Alaska to the Kodiak archipelago about 12 thousand years ago. They are close relatives of the grizzly bear.

The bear reaches 3 meters in length and weighs almost half a ton.

Which elephant is the tallest in the world?
Traditionally, for some reason, we always talk about the weight of these land giants, but we don’t mention their height, although of course these two qualities are related. It is worth noting that height in four-legged animals is measured differently than in humans. Not to the top of the head, like ours, but to the withers.
Although it is unlikely that a specimen of the largest elephant will be identified, if it were possible to do so, then most likely it would be found among the largest genus of these animals, Loxodonta, or, as we are accustomed to calling them, among African elephants.
Representatives of this genus are the largest animals on planet Earth. Their height varies (depending on gender) to 3.3 meters in males and 2.7 meters in females. The weight of these giants has even more impressive figures - for males it reaches 6 tons, and for females 3.
African elephants, as the name suggests, live in Africa, and more specifically, in its southern part. These animals once lived in the north of the continent, but today they have completely disappeared from there. In addition, the genus of African elephants is divided into two more species, the Savannah and the Forest. If we make a comparison between them, then it is Savannah elephant is the largest.
It must be said that in history there was a precedent for the capture of the largest elephant, but who can say that in the wilds of the savannah there will not be an even bigger one? This specimen was shot in 1972, in Angola, and its mass reached 12 tons. He is the largest elephant officially registered. One can only guess about the height of such a giant.
African elephants, due to the demand for their precious tusks, are listed in the Red Book.

Photo of the tallest elephant

Most big elephant in the world, the elephant is considered the largest animal living on earth - it boasts an excellent memory and can distinguish simple songs. In general, it lends itself well to training. Did you know that there is an elephant that can paint an entire picture using its own trunk?

What is the biggest elephant? Massive body, huge ears, long trunk and a couple more tusks, although the latter are not common to everyone. These colossi chose Africa and India as their residence. Elephants often take mud showers - this is how they escape from annoying insects. The mud, when dried, forms a crust, which, like a shell, protects its thick skin. It is officially recorded that the largest elephant weighs 12,000 kg. Usually their weight does not exceed eight thousand kilograms.

There is a great demand for tusks in the jewelry industry - they are used to make original jewelry that is very popular. Poachers during the hunt are not stopped by the fact that elephants are included in the Red Book. In India, elephants are used to facilitate labor - elephants make good vehicle, especially in difficult to pass places. This type of treatment of animals is not practiced on the African peninsula.

Elephants' diet consists of plants; they can chew tree bark. They prefer to eat carrots; they are unlikely to resist an apple. Elephants have a terrible sweet tooth, and are able to stand for as long as they like near the fence of the enclosure in the hope that they will be treated to a sweet delicacy. FROM large quantity sweets, animals not only get fat, but also become addicted to sweets.

Asian elephants

There are three known species of elephants living in Azi - Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumatran. Of the Sri Lankan individuals, the most prominent is the elephant, 3.5 m high and weighing 5.5 tons. He lives on the island after which he is named. The Indian elephant is not uncommon; it can be found in any Asian country. Weighs no more than 5 tons. The smallest Sumatran is 2.5 m tall and weighs three tons.

African elephant

These are the largest animals on the planet. In nature there are two types African elephants– savannah and forest. The first of them can weigh up to eight tons and grow up to four meters, the latter are inferior to them in their parameters - no more than five tons and three meters in height. These are very friendly animals; fights and quarrels rarely occur between relatives. Usually they live in one large herd, take care of the cubs, and do not abandon the sick in trouble. During mating, due to increased testosterone levels, elephants can show aggression, and only during this period can one elephant injure another representative of its genus. Relations with females are tender - having looked after a couple, elephants move a short distance from the herd and there, away from prying eyes, they indulge in mutual caresses.

Until the baby elephants are five years old, they are under the tireless attention of their mother; upon reaching 15 years old, the elephant becomes an adult. In the savannah, young elephants are in danger - lions. One of the largest elephants is capable of eating 100 kg of grass - often these good-natured creatures cause the death of bushes and trees. Due to the destruction of green spaces, shooting of these large animals was allowed. Middle age The life of an African giant is 60-70 years. Unlike their Indian relatives, African dogs are much less amenable to training.

Yossi the Elephant

The largest elephant in the world lives in the Safari Zoo, located in Israel. He has reached a very respectable age - he is 32 years old, but continues to grow and can hardly squeeze through the gate leading to the yard - in order to overcome it, the elephant has to crouch - this is the only way he can go for a walk. Experts believe that this kind of exercise only benefits the animal. An elephant named Yossi became the tallest elephant ever to live in captivity. Now his height is 3.7 m. His weight is 6 tons, the elephant’s tail is 1 meter, the trunk is 2.5 meters, ears = 1.2 meters. According to assumptions, the reasons for growth lie in genes. An important factor is nutritious food.

Since ancient times, people have learned to use elephants for heavy work - transporting heavy loads and people. They repeatedly took part in bloody battles. But you should not put an unbearable burden on an elephant - an elephant is not omnipotent and is not capable of lifting a load that is more than a quarter of its weight.

Elephants are amazing animals. People have admired their intelligence, endurance and wisdom for thousands of years. In addition, the elephant is the most large mammals of those living on land. These animals have a huge powerful body, large ears and a long trunk, with which you can not only eat, but also bathe or pick up objects. If elephants have tusks, unfortunately, they endlessly attract poachers, hunters for easy money. Usually the weight of the animal does not exceed eight tons, but in history an elephant weighing 12 tons has been recorded. How much does it weigh? at the moment biggest elephant in the world?

If you deviate from official facts In terms of archival data, the largest elephant would be an animal caught in Angola in the 19th century. It weighed almost 12.5 tons, and both tusks weighed no less than half a hundredweight.

Relatively recently, the title of the world's largest elephant was given to an animal named Yosi. He lives in the Israeli Safari Zoo and is quite old. His age has already exceeded three decades, and he weighs 6000 kg. Yossi’s tail is 100 cm long, his ears are about twenty meters long, and his trunk is two and a half meters long. His height is about four meters.

The elephant is the so-called "elder" of the zoo

Because of his size, he has difficulty pushing through the gate of his pen, he even has to crouch down to do this. Veterinarians agree that these physical exercise do not harm him, but on the contrary, benefit him.

The largest animals belong to this species. Compared to its Asian relative, it is much larger, and both males and females have tusks. TO African species was the largest and heavy elephant in history weighing 12 tons and 7 meters high. Even their individual tusks can weigh up to 200 kilograms. Tusks are needed both for protection from predators (although few dare to attack such giants, except perhaps the old and sick), and for digging the ground and stripping tree bark.

In the wild, they can be found in Zimbabwe, Senegal or Namibia.

Of course, the height and weight of the animal in to a greater extent depends on nutrition. IN good conditions elephants eat about 1.5 centners of food per day, females eat a little less. Actually, it takes them about 2/3 of the day just to absorb food, only two hours to sleep, and the rest to search for food. During the dry season, they have to walk many kilometers in search of food and drink. The main delicacies of giants are grass and young tree shoots. If possible, they can eat fruit. However, only about half of this amount of food is absorbed.

The habitat of African elephants used to cover the entire African continent, but now the range has been significantly reduced due to human fault. Most of these animals found refuge in national parks Congo, Tanzania and Kenya.

This animal is significantly smaller in size than its African counterpart. The largest representative of this species was killed in 1924; its weight exceeded 8 tons. The tusks of the Asian elephant are several times smaller than those of the African elephant, and not all individuals have them.

Initially, these animals lived throughout the territory Southeast Asia, ranging from the Malay Peninsula to Mesopotamia, as well as on some Indonesian islands, the Himalayas and certain areas of China. Now the range is greatly reduced; there are fragments in India, Malaysia, Thailand, Bhutan and some other regions.

In Sri Lanka there is a subspecies of elephant without tusks, which is called Makhna in the local dialect

Moreover, biologists have identified as many as five subspecies of the Asian elephant:

Indian, the males of which have not yet lost their tusks;
Sri Lankan - has a large head without tusks with spots on the forehead and at the base of the trunk;
Bornean is a rather small animal, but with a very big ears and almost straight tusks;
Sumatran is one of the smallest elephants, it was even nicknamed “pocket”;
a separate subspecies living in Sri Lanka. This elephant is quite tall, 30 centimeters taller than the standard Indian one. There are only about 100 of them left.

Elephants usually live for about 6-7 decades. Officially recognized as the longest living elephant from Taiwan, who died in 2003, Lin-Wan. This "veteran" was used by the Chinese from 1934 to 1957 during armed conflicts with the Japanese.

It is worth noting that the elephant is often considered a serious pest for agriculture. And not without reason: it happens that whole herds of them destroy plantations of rice, sugar cane or bananas. And, despite their impressive build, these animals run quite quickly, especially in case of panic: then they will crush anyone who gets in their way, and can even demolish a brick wall.

At the time of death, the animal was 86 years old.

Unfortunately, the number of these beautiful animals is steadily declining. The reasons for this are as follows:

killing by poachers hunting for meat and tusks;
persecution by villagers trying to protect their lands;
general deterioration environment related to human activity;
Despite their size, elephants quite often die under the wheels of vehicles.

Elephants are one of the few animals capable of conscious emotions. They mourn when their neighbor dies, especially if it is a newborn baby elephant. And they rejoice at good events and even laugh in their own way. If little cub fell to the ground, an adult (not necessarily a parent) will certainly extend his trunk to him to help him get up. They hug very often using their trunks.

Elephants are the largest land animals. These amazing animals have a powerful trunk, with which they do almost everything. Here are some interesting facts about elephants.

So, the most interesting facts about elephants:

Like dolphins, elephants can easily communicate with each other using low-frequency signals and noises that the human ear cannot recognize.

An elephant's heart can weigh up to 30 kg, but because it is so large it only beats about 30 beats per minute.

September 22 is the official elephant protection day.

As a rule, elephants live no more than 70 years, although there are also centenarians among them.

Elephants carry their young for 22 months, the longest gestation of any land creature.

Elephants cannot jump or run fast, but they are excellent swimmers and feel good in the water.

The largest elephant in history is considered to be an elephant named Jumbo, who was born in 1861 and died after a collision with a train. At the time of his death he was 24 years old and 4 meters tall.

There are 2 types of elephants - Asian and African. Although, of course, each species has several more subspecies (African savannah elephant or, for example, Asian bush elephant, etc.)

As a rule, elephant herds consist mainly of relatives and can number hundreds and sometimes thousands of individuals.

Elephants are very developed and intelligent animals. They tend to help each other in any situation, to take care when someone gets sick. They also tend to rejoice and generally experience emotions, and even feel sad when someone from their herd dies.

At the beginning of the 20th century there were two public executions elephants. In 1903, the elephant Topsy was executed with electric current for trampling 3 people. 13 years later, another elephant named Big Mary was executed for a similar crime. They decided to execute her by hanging on a crane.

Another very wonderful and interesting fact. Ivory is not just a name for elephant tusks. In addition to them, this term refers to hippopotamus tusks and walrus tusks. Mammoth tusks and even sperm whale teeth. It's all ivory.)

If you look at an elephant's foot using an x-ray, you can see that it walks as if on its toes, i.e. on tiptoes and his heel raised. Thus, the entire load goes on the fingers, and this entire massive leg inside practically consists of fat alone.