What do Indian elephants eat? How many years does an elephant live? Appearance of animals

Where do elephants live?

Elephants are the largest modern land animals. They are peaceful vegetarians, but due to their impressive size they can fend for themselves. Adult elephants have virtually no enemies in nature. Elephants are very smart animals.

There are two types of elephants: African and Indian (Asian).

African elephants live throughout the African continent, they live mainly in savannas, but some individuals prefer tropical forests, south of the Sahara Desert.

Indian elephants live in the jungles of India and in other countries of Southeast Asia.

How are Indian elephants different from African elephants?

1. Indian elephants are 2.5 - 3 m tall and about 6 m long. African elephants are much larger and grow up to 7.5 m in length, reaching 4 meters in height.
2. African elephants have large fan ears, while Indian elephants have ears of more modest size.
3. African elephants have two processes at the tip of their trunk - “fingers”. Indians have only one “finger” at the end of their trunk.
4. The Indian elephant has the highest point of its body at the top of its head, while the African elephant has its head below its shoulders.
Indian elephants are easily tamed and have helped humans since ancient times. In ancient times, Indian elephants were even taught military training. Now in some Asian countries, working elephants are valued above modern machines; they lift heavy objects and are used as transport in impenetrable jungles.

Knowing these differences, you can determine which elephant is African and which is Indian.

Indian elephants

The largest land mammal is rightfully the elephant.

Elephant - description and characteristics

The majestic animal has practically no enemies and does not attack anyone, being a herbivore. Today they can be found in the wild, in national parks and nature reserves, in circuses and zoos, and there are also domesticated individuals. A lot is known about them: how many years elephants live, what elephants eat, how long an elephant’s pregnancy lasts. And yet secrets remain.

This animal cannot be confused with any other, since hardly any land mammal can boast of such dimensions. The height of this giant can reach up to 4.5 meters, and its weight can reach up to 7 tons. The largest is the African savannah giant. Indian counterparts are somewhat lighter: weight up to 5.5 tons for males and 4.5 tons for females. Forest elephants are considered the lightest - up to 3 tons. In nature, there are also dwarf varieties that do not reach 1 ton.

The elephant's skeleton is strong and allows it to withstand such an impressive weight. The body is massive and muscular.

The animal's head is large, with a protruding frontal area. Its decoration is its movable ears, which serve as a heat regulator and a means of communication between fellow tribesmen. When attacking a herd, the animals begin to actively move their ears, scaring off enemies.

The legs are also unique. Contrary to the popular belief that animals are noisy and clumsy, these giants walk almost silently. The feet have thick fat pads that soften the step. Distinctive feature is the ability to bend the knees, the animal has two kneecaps.

The animals have a small tail ending in a non-furry brush. Usually the cub holds on to it in order to keep up with the mother.

A distinctive feature is the elephant's trunk, the mass of which in an elephant can reach up to 200 kg. This organ is a fused nose and upper lip. Consisting of more than 100 thousand strong muscles and tendons, the elephant's trunk has incredible flexibility and strength. They use it to pick off vegetation and put it in their mouth. Also, the elephant's trunk is a weapon with which it defends itself and fights its opponent.

The giants also draw in water through their trunks, which they then put into their mouths or pour over. Elephants up to one year old have little control over their proboscis. For example, they cannot drink with it, but kneel down and drink with their mouth. But they hold tightly to their mother’s tail with their trunk from the first hours of their life.

Elephant vision and hearing

Relative to the size of the animal, the eyes are small, and these giants do not differ in acute vision. But they have excellent hearing and are able to recognize sounds even at very low frequencies.

It is believed that animals hear thunder at a distance of up to 100 km and can accurately locate water located at a great distance by noise.

Leather

Body large mammal covered with thick gray or brown skin, mottled with many wrinkles and folds. Rare hard bristles on it are observed only in cubs. In adults it is practically absent.

The color of the animal directly depends on its habitat, since elephants often sprinkle themselves with earth and clay to protect themselves from insects. Therefore, some representatives appear brown and even pink.

Among giants, albinos are very rare, but still found. Such animals are considered iconic in Siam. White elephants were taken specifically for royal families.

Jaws

The decoration of the giant is its tusks: the older the animal, the longer they are. But not everyone is the same size. The female Asian elephant, for example, is completely devoid of such decorations by nature, just like rare males. The tusks fit into the jaws and are considered incisors.

How many years an elephant lives can be determined by its teeth, which wear down over the years, but at the same time new ones appear, growing behind the old ones. It is known how many teeth an elephant has in its mouth. As a rule, 4 radicals.

It was the tusks of these giants that were very highly valued, which led to the brutal extermination of proboscideans. Now hunting is strictly prohibited: the animal is listed in the Red Book. And the places where the elephant lives are declared nature reserves.

Indian elephant And African elephant have external differences, we’ll talk about them in the sequel.

Types of elephants

Nowadays, there are only two species of proboscis: the African elephant and the Indian elephant (otherwise called asian elephant). African ones, in turn, are divided into savannahs living along the equator (the largest representatives are up to 4.5 m in height and 7 tons of weight) and forest ones (its dwarf and swamp subspecies), which prefer to live in tropical forests.

Despite the undeniable similarity of these animals, they still have a number of differences.

It is very simple to answer the question of which elephant is larger in size and weight: Indian or African. The one that lives in Africa: individuals weigh 1.5-2 tons more, and are much taller.
The female Asian elephant does not have tusks; all African elephants have tusks.
The species differ slightly in the shape of the body: the Asian ones have a higher rear part relative to the level of the head.
African animal is different large size ears.
The trunks of African giants are somewhat thinner.
By its nature, the Indian elephant is more prone to domestication; it is almost impossible to tame its African counterpart.

It is Asian animals that are often accepted into circuses for their obedience and good disposition. Basically, these are sick and abandoned cubs rescued from poachers.

When crossing African and Indian proboscis, no offspring are obtained, which indicates differences at the genetic level.

The lifespan of an elephant depends on living conditions, the availability of sufficient food and water. It is believed that the African elephant lives somewhat longer than its counterpart.

Ancient relatives of proboscis appeared on earth approximately 65 million years ago, during the Paleocene era. At this time, dinosaurs still walked the planet.

Scientists have found that the first representatives lived on the territory of modern Egypt and were more like a tapir. There is another theory, according to which the current giants descended from a certain animal that lived in Africa and almost all of Eurasia.

Research revealing how long the elephant has lived on our planet points to the existence of its ancestors.

Deinotherium. They appeared approximately 58 million years ago and died out 2.5 million years ago. Outwardly they were similar to modern animals, but were noted for their smaller size and shorter trunk.
Gomphotherium. They appeared on earth approximately 37 million years ago and died out 10 thousand years ago. Their body resembled the current long-nosed giants, but they had 4 small tusks, twisted in pairs up and down, and a flat jaw. At some stage of development, the tusks of these animals became significantly larger.
Mamutids (mastodons). Appeared 10-12 million years ago. They had dense hair on their body, long tusks and a trunk. They became extinct 18 thousand years ago, with the advent of primitive people.
Mammoths. The first representatives of elephants. They appeared from mastodons approximately 1.6 million years ago. They became extinct about 10 thousand years ago. They were slightly taller than modern animals, their body was covered with long and dense hair, and they had large tusks hanging down.

Mammoths belong to the same order of elephants as modern giants.

The African elephant and the Indian elephant are the only representatives of the proboscis order existing on Earth.

Where do elephants live?

African elephant lives south of the desert Sahara, on the territory of many African countries: Congo, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan and others. Enough hot climate The places where the elephant lives are to his liking. More often they choose savannas, where there is enough vegetation and water can be found. Animals practically do not enter deserts and impenetrable tropical forests.

IN lately The giants' habitat has shrunk. The places where the elephant lives are turned into national reserves to preserve the population of these animals, protecting them from poachers.

But the Indian elephant, on the contrary, prefers forested areas of India, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Laos and Sri Lanka. He feels comfortable among dense bushes and thickets of bamboo. This Asian elephant once lived in almost all areas of southern Asia, but now populations have declined greatly.

The Indian elephant can live even in inaccessible jungles. It is in this area that the largest number of wild specimens remain. But determining how many years an elephant lives can be quite difficult.

The lifespan of an elephant in the wild is significantly shorter than that of its domesticated counterparts or those living in zoos or national reserves. This is due to the difficult conditions of the places where the elephant lives, with diseases and the brutal extermination of giants.

Scientists are still debating how long a wild elephant lives and what their life expectancy is in captivity.

Undoubtedly, how many years an elephant lives is determined by the species to which the mammal belongs. African savannas live the longest: among them there are individuals whose age reached 80 years. African forest proboscideans are somewhat smaller - 65-70 years. An Asian elephant at home or in zoos and national parks can live 55-60 years, in natural environment Animals that have reached 50 years of age are considered to be long-lived.

How long elephants live depends on how the animal is cared for. A wounded and sick animal will not be able to live long. Sometimes even minor damage to the trunk or foot causes death. Under human supervision, many diseases of giants can be easily treated, which can significantly prolong life.

In their natural environment, animals have practically no enemies. Beasts of Prey They attack only stray cubs and sick individuals.

Being herbivores, proboscis spends more than 15 hours a day in search of food. To maintain their enormous body mass, they have to eat 40 to 400 kg of vegetation per day.

What elephants eat directly depends on their habitat: it can be grass, leaves, young shoots. The elephant's trunk picks them off and sends them into the mouth, where the food is thoroughly ground.

In captivity, the elephant eats hay (up to 20 kg per day), vegetables, especially carrots and cabbage, variety of fruits, grain.

How many years an elephant lives depends on what elephants eat. Zoo visitors often feed animals contraindicated food. Huge mammals are strictly prohibited from eating sweets.

Sometimes wild animals wander into the fields of local residents and happily eat the harvest of corn, cane, and grain.

The animals are very social: they form herds, led by the oldest and most experienced female. She takes her relatives to food places and keeps order.

Scientists have come to interesting conclusions. All individuals are relatives. As a rule, these are females and immature males. Grown-up boys leave their families and often live alone or in the company of similar bachelors. They approach family herds only when they are ready to have offspring and at the call of the females.

Animals have very developed family instincts: everyone has their own role. The whole family is involved in raising children. In the event of an attack by predators, the elephant calves are surrounded by a tight ring and the enemies are driven away. Unfortunately, how many years an elephant lives depends on whether the family was able to preserve all of its offspring. Babies quite often die from disease, weakness and from attacks by predators (lions, cheetahs, hyenas, crocodiles).

To survive, giants need large number water. They can drink up to 200 liters per day, so the animals try to stay close to bodies of water. In dry times, they know how to dig wells, which saves not only themselves, but also many other animals.

Elephant mammals are very peaceful animals. Cases of them attacking other animals are extremely rare. They can only suffer from them when the giants, frightened by something, trample those who get in their way.

Old animals go to specific place, « elephant cemetery", where many relatives died, and there they spend their last days. The rest of the family sees them off and says a very touching goodbye.

Animals become sexually mature in different ways: males at the age of 14-15 years, females at 12-13.

Sometimes this age may vary depending on the amount of food and health status.

Several suitors come to the call of the female and her scent; they sometimes arrange fights, during which it is determined which male will remain. The elephant watches the contenders and after the end of the battle leaves with the winner. Elephants mating occurs away from the herd, after which the couple can walk together for several more days. Then the male leaves and the female returns to her family.

It’s quite interesting how long pregnant elephants walk. Elephants carry their cubs for quite a long time: 22-24 months. An elephant's gestation period is counted from the moment of mating. Pregnant females live with their herd, and males never appear nearby.

Compared to other mammals, elephant pregnancy lasts a record time: they carry their young for almost two years. The large size of females sometimes makes it difficult to see them immediately interesting situation, therefore, it is possible to calculate how long elephants have been bearing their cubs only from the moment of mating.

An elephant's pregnancy usually ends with the birth of one, or less often two, elephant calves, which weigh up to a hundredweight. Expectant mother leaves the herd, accompanied by an experienced female, and gives birth to a baby, which after 2-3 hours can stand on its feet and suck milk. A new mother returns to her herd with a baby elephant holding her tail.

Elephants carry their young for a very long time, so their populations, subject to severe extermination, for a long time were in danger of extinction.

How many years a male elephant lives in a herd is determined by the arrival of sexual maturity. Young males leave their families and live alone. But the females remain in the herd until the end of their days.

Among elephants, as among people, there are left-handers and right-handers. This can be understood by the tusks: the tusk will be longer on the side on which it works more often.

These majestic animals are often found on the coats of arms of states (Congo, India). The image of a giant mammal was also on the family coat of arms of the famous great-grandfather of A.S. Pushkin, Abram Hannibal.
Elephants are so skilled with their trunks that they can easily pick up a tiny or fragile object from the ground without damaging it. With the same trunk they will carry the felled tree to the desired location.
Some giants paint paintings that have a very high price.
Trauma to the trunk most often leads to the death of the animal.
Elephants love to swim and swim quite quickly.
The giant's usual speed when walking is 4-5 km/h, but when running it reaches speeds of up to 50 km/h.
The story that elephants are afraid of mice is a complete fiction. Rodents do not make any holes in the feet, and certainly cannot eat a giant from the inside. But animals won't touch food if mice are running all over it. Therefore, to say that elephants are afraid of mice is incorrect; rather, they disdain them.

In some countries these animals are considered sacred. Murder is even punishable by death.

Elephants are large mammals, of which there are two species: African and Indian. Mammoths used to live on Earth (they became extinct in ice age) and mastodons (extinct during the period of the first appearance of man on the North American continent). In this article we will answer the question: “Where do elephants live?” and consider their habitat and habits.

Differences between Indian and African elephants

Contrary to the apparent one hundred percent external resemblance Indian and African elephants have many differences. Let's take a closer look at them.

African elephants are superior to their Indian relatives in size and weight. The height of an adult animal living in Africa reaches 3.7 meters and weighs 6.5 tons. For comparison, for Indian relatives these figures are 3.5 meters and 5 tons.
African elephants have larger ears, with veins clearly visible through their thin skin. It is noteworthy that each individual has a different pattern of veins on its ears, just like people have fingerprints.
A distinctive feature of African elephants is the presence of long, strong tusks in each animal, regardless of gender. Among Indian elephants, only males have this decoration. Tusks grow throughout life and act as an indicator of age.
The Indian elephant is calmer. Thanks to simple training, he becomes a reliable assistant to a person. He is trained to transport trees, lay planks, or retrieve objects from rivers.

That's not all interesting facts about these animals. The following information will be useful to schoolchildren who want to get the maximum score for the Unified State Exam. Among the elephants there are “left-handed” and “right-handed”. Belonging to a certain category is determined by which tusk is shorter. These animals work with one tusk, as a result of which it wears out faster.

Elephant bone is expensive as an ornamental base, so they often die at the hands of poachers. Now the trade in ivory has been banned, but still hundreds of these amazing animals die every year due to human fault.

Elephants have 4 molars. The weight of each tooth the size of a brick reaches 2-3 kilograms. Animals replace their molars 6 times during their life. With age, tooth sensitivity increases, which forces animals to stay closer to swampy areas with soft vegetation.

The elephant differs from other animals in its impressive body weight, design, behavior and presence long nose. The trunk is the connection between the upper lip and nose, with which it showers, breathes, smells, drinks and makes sounds. With this organ, containing 100 thousand muscles, the animal takes objects weighing up to a ton and carries tens of kilometers.

Elephant habitat and habits

African giant lives in the steppes of Africa and Egypt. Indian individuals live in India, Ceylon, Indochina, and Burma.

Elephants live in a herd of up to 50 individuals, which are bound by behavioral norms. Some live separately because they are more likely to show aggression and are dangerous.
There is a friendly atmosphere in the herd, relatives take care of the offspring and support each other.
These are socially developed animals. They can show emotions and remember objects, places and people.

Elephants eat 130 kg of food per day (leaves, bark, fruits) and spend most of their time searching for it. Sleep no more than 4 hours a day. Animals are often located near rivers or lakes and drink 200 liters of water per day. The elephant is a good swimmer and easily swims long distances regardless of body weight.

The giant has a massive skeleton, making up 15% of its body weight. Skin reaches a thickness of 25 mm and is shrouded in sparse hairs. On average, an elephant lives 70 years. He cannot jump, but his running speed reaches 30 km per hour.

The female carries the baby for 88 weeks. This is a record among animals. A baby elephant is born every four years, weighing about 90 kg and measuring about a meter in height. The birth of a baby is important for members of the herd.

These mammals clear language communication. When an elephant is depressed or aggressive, the ears become spread apart. For protection, tusks, trunk and massive legs are used. In a moment of danger or fright, the animal squeals and, running away, literally demolishes everything in its path.

Where do elephants live in captivity?

Almost every zoo has elephants. It is not surprising, because they arouse special interest among the public. But sometimes even well-known zoos, due to the lack of a suitable place to keep them, refuse these animals.

Elephants suffer from boredom in confined spaces. In their natural environment, they spend a lot of time searching for and absorbing food. You can’t wander around enough in a small enclosure, but small quantity individuals leads to disruption of social contacts.

European zoos are trying to provide elephants with spacious pens for walking. Less docile males, who are dangerous in a state of turmoil, are given additional space. Some zoos provide pens for females with their offspring. This allows members of the small herd to get to know the new addition.

Diversity of range is of great importance in elephant breeding. Large elephant herds set up enclosures so that animals can move freely. Such conditions are more suitable for successful breeding in captivity.

Elephants are socially developed mammals. For many reasons, this species is on the verge of extinction. Animals need protection and protection. This fact found many positive reviews among scientists and officials. Nature reserves are being actively created where animals live under protection. The territory of such complexes must correspond normal environment habitat. On at the moment Several reserves meet these requirements, including:

National Park Bandipur, India.
Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
Elephant Sanctuary in Knysna, South Africa.
Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary, Malaysia.
Elephant Safari Park, Bali.

Each of the listed places is ideal for entertaining summer holiday.

People harm environment, therefore, many species of animals are dying out, but there remains hope that some of the most large mammals– elephants will continue to live not only in captivity, but also in their native environment. The task of man is to help ensure that children can enjoy the greatness of these animals in the vastness of the savannah and forests.

The Indian elephant, also called the Asian elephant, is one of the endangered species of elephants that are listed in the Red Book. This is one of the largest animals on our planet, which is somewhat similar to ancient mammoth. The ears have a characteristic pointed shape and are extended downwards.

The length of the tusks of male Indian elephants reaches 1.5 meters, which is why they are often the subject of poaching. There are elephants that do not have tusks. They live mainly in eastern India.

In addition to India, this type of elephant lives in Nepal, Burma, Thailand and the island of Sumatra. Due to the expansion of agricultural land in these countries, elephants have no place to live, causing their numbers to recent years decreased sharply.

The habitat of the Indian elephant is a light forest with shrubby undergrowth. Closer to summer, they like to climb the mountains, but almost never go out into the savannahs, since these territories have been turned into lands on which they constantly grow something.

Hierarchy of Indian Elephant Relationships

Typically, Indian elephants live and stay in groups of 15-20 individuals, subordinate to the old female - she is the head of the herd. The herd consists of subgroups of related females with cubs. As they increase in size, such subgroups can separate and form their own herd.

Male Indian elephants at the age of 7-8 years separate from the herd and form their own groups for a short time. Having reached adulthood, males often stay alone. During the mating period, male Indian elephants are dangerous and aggressive and can even attack humans.

Elephants' social bonds are very strong. If there is a wounded person in the herd, others help him get up, supporting him on both sides.

The habitats of Indian elephants have a complex, unique structure. They consist of areas connected by paths, as well as areas where elephants never enter. IN hazardous areas elephants only walk when night falls.

How long does an Indian elephant live?

The lifespan of an Indian elephant is 60-70 years. Puberty occurs at 8-12 years of age. The female carries the cub for 22 months, and becomes pregnant every 4-5 years. After birth, members of the herd approach the calf, greeting it with a touch of their trunk.

His mother helps him find his nipples. Immediately after birth, the cub stands firmly on its feet and is able to move independently. By the age of 2-3 years, he begins to eat plant foods.

Indian elephant hunting

Elephants spend almost all their waking hours searching for food. They eat many types of plants, but almost 85% are their favorite foods. During the day, the Indian elephant eats 100-150 kg per day, and during wet season up to 280 kg, preferring grass in the wet season, and woody mass of shrubs and trees in the dry season.

Elephants drink 180 liters of water per day. They also eat the soil, thereby replenishing minerals and iron. In search of water, they can dig up dry stream beds, which other animals use for watering after the elephants leave. If there is enough moisture in the food, elephants can go without water for several days.

Why is the Indian elephant so revered in India?

In India, the elephant is considered a sacred animal, representing wisdom, prudence and strength. After all, only this elephant wisely approaches the issue of survival - taking care of wounded elephants and young animals. That is why the elephant is the symbol of India.

Elephants participate in wedding ceremonies and other celebrations.

Watch the video about the Indian elephant:

Read more about elephants: Elephant hunting: history and reality, Sumatran elephants, Indian elephant - an indispensable human assistant.

The Indian or Asian elephant belongs to the family Elephantidae and forms a genus called Asian elephants. Animals live in tropical and deciduous forests with dense undergrowth. These days they are not found in steppe regions. Human agricultural activity is to blame. In areas free of high vegetation, elephants live only in nature reserves. Along wooded slopes they rise into the mountains to a height of up to 3 thousand meters above sea level. These are the Eastern Himalayas in northeast India. They do not disdain swampy areas. They love shallow bodies of water.

There are three species of Asian elephant. This is the elephant of Sri Lanka (a large island located southeast of India). Indian elephant living in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, China. And the elephant of Sumatra and Borneo (Indonesia). In general, when talking about Asian elephants, they use the common term “Indian elephant” for all species.

This animal is very large and strong. But in size and weight it is inferior to the African or savannah elephant. That is, in terms of size, it occupies an honorable second place among all mammals on the planet. The weight of males reaches a maximum of 5.5 tons with a height of 3.2 meters. Females are smaller. They weigh around 2.6 tons with a height of 2.2-2.4 meters. The weight of the skeleton is 15% of the body weight. The largest Asian elephant was shot in India in 1924. Its weight was 8 tons with a height of 3.35 meters, and its body reached 8 meters in length. Today's elephants have body lengths ranging from 5.5 to 6.6 meters. The tail is no more than one and a half meters long.

Externally, the body of the Indian elephant looks stockier than that of the African elephant. The legs are powerful, and their soles are capable of increasing the area in contact with the ground. Therefore, the animal moves freely through swampy areas and sands. The front legs have five hooves or toes, the hind legs have 4. The skin color is dark gray, almost brown. Skin is dry and wrinkled. Elephants constantly monitor her condition. They love to roll in the dust, swim and scratch themselves on trees. Coarse, sparse hair grows on the body. In elephant calves it is thicker and has a brown color.

The shape of the head of the Asian elephant is different from the shape of the head of its African counterpart. Thanks to it, you can determine at first glance where the resident is African savannah, and where is the inhabitant of the tropical forests of India. The animal has two large protuberances on its head. And at the edges the head seems to be compressed. The ears are small, but the Africans have huge “mugs”.

It is a clot of muscles and is nothing more than a fused nose and upper lip. Its length ranges from 1.5 to 1.8 meters. A bucket of water fits freely into the trunk. At its end there is a finger-like process. The African elephant has two such processes.

- These are the upper fangs that have grown to enormous sizes. The Indian elephant is notable for the fact that females do not grow tusks. This is sometimes observed in males. This is especially common in animals living in Sri Lanka. The length of the tusks reaches 1.6 meters at maximum weight 25 kg. African tusks grow up to 2.5 meters and weigh 45 kg. The largest Asian elephant tusks were 1.8 meters long and weighed 40 kg.

The animal has 4 molars in its mouth. They change 4 times throughout life. The first time after the loss of baby teeth at 15-16 years old, and then at intervals of 12 years. After last pair The molars wear out and the animal dies from malnutrition. The Indian elephant lives at favorable conditions 80 years old. In the wild, the usual life expectancy is 60-65 years, rarely 70 years.

Reproduction

Puberty in males occurs at the age of 12-15 years. Having become sexually mature, they begin every year to fall into a state called must or mast (in English musth). It is characterized increased level testosterone (sex hormone). Its concentration in the body increases 100 times. The male becomes aggressive and irritable. The must lasts for 2 months. All this time, the elephant eats almost nothing, but is busy searching for females ready for fertilization. It is interesting that the African elephant is also subject to must, but it is practically not expressed in any way and passes almost unnoticed.

Having found a female, the Indian elephant must also fight with rivals. Only by winning all the fights does he finally achieve reciprocity, which lasts about 20 days. Pregnancy lasts from 18 to 22 months. One baby elephant is born; very rarely there are twins. The baby weighs 100 kg at birth with a height of 1 meter. Milk feeding lasts about 2 years. In females, puberty occurs at the age of 10-12 years. The young male leaves the herd when he reaches the age of 8-12 years. Females remain with their mother for life.

Behavior and nutrition

The Indian elephant is a collective animal. Females always form herds. Each one is headed by a mature and experienced lady. The group also includes her daughters and cubs. In our time, such formations number from 10 to 20 animals. In the old days, when man invaded the wild from time to time, the herd of elephants numbered several dozen animals. Males also form groups, but these groups are very fragile. They often break up and then form again, but with partial replacement of males. Often a herd of females is accompanied by a mature male. But he never feels like a full member of the team.

Residents of Asian expanses eat plant foods. He eats grass, leaves, roots. They gnaw the bark of trees. Enjoys bananas and sugar cane. He often looks into farmland, which greatly annoys people.

The herd feeds in one place for no more than a few days. Animals love to eat, so they quickly destroy all the vegetation around them and move to another feeding area. Moreover, each herd adheres to certain territorial boundaries. They lie, as a rule, in the range of 30-40 square meters. km. Elephants have poor eyesight, but have excellent senses of smell and hearing. These animals are prone to mutual assistance and have a very high intelligence, which is second only to the intelligence of dolphins.

Indian elephant and man

In the wild, the Indian elephant has practically no enemies. Relative danger comes only from Bengal tigers and leopards. In ancient times, elephants were harassed by Asiatic lions. Nowadays, these predators have practically disappeared from wildlife. The pitiful remnants of a once huge population while away their lion life in the north-west of India in the Girsky Nature Reserve and do not pose any threat to elephants.

Since time immemorial, people have domesticated huge and strong animals. Elephants “served” in the army long before Alexander the Great’s campaign in India. They participated in religious rituals. Elephants were kept in the courts of all Indian rulers. This was considered prestigious, and once again emphasized the power of the ruler. These animals were also used in all heavy construction work. Indian elephants are well domesticated and are very smart.

In recent decades, the need for construction elephants has practically disappeared. Many powerful mechanisms have appeared in India, each of which is capable of replacing a hundred powerful animals at a time. With the growth of cultivated areas, the relationship between man and elephant became tense. Today, in the vast Asian region, there are no more than 50 thousand of these smart animals. People prefer to shoot elephants so that they do not interfere with their normal lives. The males' tusks also play a role in wiping out the population. Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed in the International Red Book, but its numbers have been steadily declining by at least 2-3% per year.