What type of animal is an elephant? Asian elephants: description, features, lifestyle, nutrition and interesting facts

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 wildlife, V 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 away 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

The body of a large mammal is covered with thick gray or brown skin, mottled with many wrinkles and folds. Sparse 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 known as the 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.
The African animal is distinguished by its large ears.
trunks African giants 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).

Giants require large amounts of water to survive. 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.

I don’t even know for what reason, but mine love for elephants is limitless. I can easily stand near their cage for two or three hours. And what cute babies! Just imagine, they are like real babies, even drinking a bottle of milk.

Where do the most beautiful elephants live?

My very first and closest acquaintance with elephants happened in Thailand. It is in this country that elephants are treated with respect and considered a symbol of the Kingdom. If you compare them with African species, then they are significantly inferior in size, and the trunk with tusks is different in appearance. Middle age sacred animals small, 80 years old. The most common cause of death is starvation. It is because of the lack of teeth that elephants have nothing to chew their food with. Places where you can watch the show and feed your pets:

Blooming Orchid Park- This is where you can watch a theatrical show. More than 20 elephants perform on the field at the same time. An exciting event. Elephants play ball, dance, draw and even ride a bicycle.
Crocodile farm- In addition to crocodiles, there are other animals on the farm. Here you can feed the elephants. Food, in the form of bananas, is sold next to elephants and giraffes.
River Kwai- except for feeding, shows and riding, with elephants can swim in the river. It's scary, but that's just from the outside. You get an unforgettable charge for only 800 baht.

Where can you see an image of an elephant in Thailand?

For local residents elephants are those animals that bring good luck, health, profit, success in many undertakings. If you pay attention to the counters of shops and markets, you will see elephants in the form of figurines everywhere. Where else can you see their image:

coins;
Buddhist temples;
amusement parks;
sculptures decorating the city;
Kingdom flag.

Just imagine elephants even have a pension. Money in the amount of 6,000 baht is just enough for food. Retirement age starts at 60 years. For comparison, the Thais have no such thing as a pension.

Resting in Tai, don’t forget to buy a souvenir in the shape of an elephant. Then there will definitely be peace, love, health and happiness in your home.

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When I was very little, a zoo came to our city. The focus was on the giant elephant, at least it seemed so to me then. :) After this acquaintance, I learned that elephants love to eat carrots, know how to water themselves with water from a bucket, and live in warm countries- that was enough for me. And recently I realized that I know nothing at all about these huge good people.

Who is an elephant

Elephant- the largest herbivore on our planet. It is difficult to confuse him with someone else. Huge ears, funny eyes with a cunning look, a small funny tail, and, of course, a trunk, with the help of which elephants get food, defend themselves, and make sounds, which, by the way, are very loud. Elephants are smart and can be trained. They can't jump, but run fast and laugh. They have a positive attitude towards water procedures: they love to swim and douse themselves with water. Prefer plant foods(grass, leaves, tree bark), elephants have a sweet tooth - they love sweet fruits and vegetables.

Elephant habitat

There are elephants two types: African and Indian. They got their name from the territory in which they live. Once upon a time, African elephants inhabited all of Africa. But these days there are none left in the north of the continent. Because of their huge tusks, they became victims of hunters. And we can meet them only in:

Namibia;
Tanzania;
Senegal;
Cameroon;
Republic of Chad;
Guinea;
Zambia;
Angola.

Indian elephants live:

on the island of Sri Lanka;
in Nepal;
on the island of Sumatra;
on the island of Borneo;
in Vietnam;
in Laos.

Indian elephants prefer tropical and subtropical forests. But Africans, on the contrary, settle everywhere except the tropics and deserts. Externally, you can also find some differences. Firstly, size: Indian ones are significantly smaller than their African counterparts. Secondly, ears- in African they are larger and round, while in Indian they are elongated. Thirdly, leather African elephants are wrinkled, while Indian elephants are covered with hairs.

After that first meeting with an elephant, my dream was to meet one in the wild. I hope someday it will come true. :)

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Until recently, I didn't think much about where do elephants live, and was very surprised when I met a whole herd of these animals in the Chinese province of Yunnan. As it turned out, in the recent past these giants even walked the streets of Beijing!

What conditions do elephants live in?

Elephants take over tropical forests, savannas, river valleys, climb into the foothills of the Himalayas to a height of up to 3500 meters. One could say “unpretentious” about elephants, but still their permanent habitat must correspond to their way of life. All elephants consume huge amounts plant food, drink a lot of water, love to swim, relax under the canopy of trees, and cannot stay in the cold for long. Thus, these animals feel comfortable under the following conditions:

warm climate - temperature is above zero all year round;
abundant food base throughout the year;
availability of reservoirs with sufficient reserves fresh water ;
availability shady places;
absence large quantity enemies.

In the 21st century such conditions exist in eastern, southern, central and western Africa, including in Namibia, Senegal, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, South Africa and a number of other countries. Suitable habitat for Asian elephants is available in northeast and south India, in Sumatra and Sri Lanka, in Thailand, Nepal, in China...

Other elephant habitats

If by the place of residence of elephants, we mean not only them natural habitat habitat, it turns out that these animals inhabit almost all countries of the world where there are large zoos. Some elephant colonies occupy vast territories, the area of which amounts to hundreds of hectares.

One of the largest and most modern elephant sanctuaries is located in Zurich. Despite the acceptable conditions, elephants in captivity live relatively short lives and reproduce poorly. In this regard, conservationists even established a Day to Protect Elephants Living in Zoos. It is celebrated annually on June 20.

So it turns out that there are no representatives of the elephant family except in Antarctica. And how can you look at it, since even on icy continent elephants live and feel well. True, these are not ordinary elephants, but sea elephants, from the family of true seals. The males of these animals have a real trunk, although not as huge as their land namesakes.

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As a child, my favorite toy was a soft gray elephant. I remember how, as a little girl, I asked my parents to take me to the zoo to see an elephant in real life. Of course, it was impressive at the time, but there was an elephant looking at me through the bars of the cage. The most interesting thing was to find out where elephants live in the wild.

Elephant habitat

For the first time I managed to get acquainted with these huge eared beauties in their habitat during holidays in India. Relaxing on Goa, we decided to take an excursion to elephant nursery in Kandy, where you could see elephants with your own eyes, watch them bathe, feed, watch baby elephants play and take photographs as a souvenir. Certainly, it took a long time to get there, but it was worth it - many large and small elephants walked around the reserve, swam in the river, cooling off after a hot day, and played with their calves.

Right here elephants were cleaned with large hard brushes(yes, yes, there is such a profession - elephant cleaner), which they incredibly liked!

The second time a closer acquaintance with elephants occurred in Thailand. Here I was able to ride an elephant, play with a little elephant (he doused me with a fountain ice water from the river!) and even get massage from baby elephant!

What types of elephants are there: types and differences

In general, elephants live in many countries, such as:

Thailand;
India;
Vietnam;
Sri Lanka;
SOUTH AFRICA;
Kenya;
Senegal;
Congo;
Sudan.

And this is not the entire list of their habitats. Typically, these animals are divided into two types: African And Indian, so to speak, at the place of residence.

African elephants are huge, their color is dark, they also wear tusks and have a pair of processes at the end of the trunk.

Indian elephants are smaller, have shorter legs, but are hardy and powerful body. They don't have big ears and one single small appendage at the end of the trunk. Tusks theirs or very short(three times less than their African counterparts) or are absent altogether.

What do elephants eat?

You won't believe it, but until 20 o'clock It takes an elephant a day to... search for food! They hide in the shade only during the hottest hours to avoid overheating. They eat on average per day from 150 to 300 kg of food, the bulk of which is grass and plant leaves. But if you come to elephant nursery, you shouldn’t take an armful of hay with you, you can treat the elephant with others treats:

banana(they burst it together with the peel);
sugar cane(sometimes wild elephants even destroy agricultural crops for his sake);
pineapple(we fed sliced pineapple);
apples(just like bananas, the elephant eats it with the peel and seeds);
corn(will be eaten along with the leaves).

Elephant- one of the most amazing animals. They not only know a lot, but they can also be sad, worry, bored and even laugh.

In difficult situations, they always come to the aid of their relatives. Elephants have a talent for music and drawing.

Features and habitat of the elephant

Two million years ago, during the Pleistocene period, mammoths and mastodons were widespread throughout the planet. Currently, two species of elephants have been studied: African and Indian.

There is an opinion that this is the most large mammal on the planet. However, it is wrong. The largest is the blue or blue whale, in second place is the sperm whale and only the third place is occupied by the African elephant.

It is truly the largest of all land animals. The second largest land animal after the elephant is the hippopotamus.

At the withers, the African elephant reaches 4 m and weighs up to 7.5 tons. Indian elephant weighs a little smaller – up to 5t, its height – 3m. The mammoth is one of the extinct proboscideans. The elephant is a sacred animal in India and Thailand.

Pictured is an Indian elephant

According to legend, Buddha's mother had a dream white elephant with the lotus that predicted her birth unusual child. The white elephant is a symbol of Buddhism and the embodiment of spiritual wealth. When an albino elephant is born in Thailand, this is a significant event; the King of the state himself takes it under his wing.

These are the largest land mammals, which also inhabit Southeast Asia. They prefer to settle in savannah and tropical forest areas. It is impossible to meet them only in deserts.

Elephant animal, which is famous for its large tusks. They are used when obtaining food, to clear the road, and to mark the territory. The tusks grow constantly, in adult individuals the growth rate can reach 18 cm per year, old individuals have the largest tusks of approximately 3 meters.

Teeth are constantly worn down, fall out and new ones grow in their place (they change about five times in a lifetime). The price of elephant ivory is very high, which is why the animals are constantly being destroyed.

And although the animals are protected and even listed as international, there are still poachers who are ready to kill this beautiful animal for profit.

It is very rare to find animals with large tusks, since almost all of them were exterminated. It is noteworthy that in many countries killing an elephant carries the death penalty.

There is a legend about the existence of separate mysterious cemeteries among elephants, where old and sick animals go to die, since it is very rare to find the tusks of dead animals. However, scientists managed to dispel this legend; it turned out that porcupines feast on tusks, which thus satisfy their mineral hunger.

Elephant is a species of animal, which has another interesting organ - a trunk, reaching seven meters in length. It is formed from upper lip and nose. The trunk contains approximately 100,000 muscles. This organ is used for breathing, drinking and making sounds. It plays an important role when eating food, as a kind of flexible hand.

To grasp small objects, the Indian elephant uses a small appendage on its trunk that resembles a finger. The African representative has two. The trunk is used both for plucking blades of grass and for breaking large trees. With the help of the trunk, animals can take a shower from dirty water.

This is not only pleasant for the animals, but also protects the skin from annoying insects (the dirt dries out and forms a protective film). Elephant is a group of animals which have very large ears. U African elephants they are much larger than those of Asian ones. The ears of animals are not only a hearing organ.

Since elephants do not have sebaceous glands, they never sweat. Numerous capillaries piercing the ears in hot weather expand and release excess heat into the atmosphere. In addition, this organ can be fanned.

Elephant- the only thing mammal, which cannot jump or run. They can either simply walk or move at a brisk pace, which is equivalent to running. Despite its heavy weight, thick skin (about 3 cm) and thick bones, the elephant walks very quietly.

The thing is that the pads on the animal’s foot spring and expand as the load increases, which makes the animal’s gait almost silent. These same pads help elephants move through swampy areas. At first glance, the elephant is a rather clumsy animal, but it can reach speeds of up to 30 km per hour.

Elephants have excellent vision, but use more of their senses of smell, touch and hearing. Long eyelashes are designed to protect against dust. Being good swimmers, animals can swim up to 70 km and stay in the water without touching the bottom for six hours.

The sounds made by elephants using the larynx or trunk can be heard at a distance of 10 km.

Character and lifestyle of an elephant

Wild elephants live in a herd of up to 15 animals, where all individuals are exclusively females and relatives. The head of the herd is the matriarch female. The elephant cannot stand loneliness; it is vital for him to communicate with his relatives; they are loyal to the herd until death.

Members of the herd help and care for each other, raise children conscientiously and protect themselves from danger and help weak members of the family. Male elephants are often solitary animals. They live next to some group of females, less often they form their own herds.

Children live in a group until they are 14 years old. Then they choose: either stay in the herd or create their own. If a fellow tribesman dies, the animal becomes very sad. In addition, they respect the ashes of their relatives, they will never step on them, trying to move them from the path, and even recognize the bones of relatives among other remains.

Elephants spend no more than four hours sleeping during the day. Animals African elephants sleep standing up. They huddle together and lean on each other. Old elephants lay their large tusks on a termite mound or tree.

Indian elephants spend their sleep lying on the ground. The elephant's brain is quite complex and is second only to whales in structure. It weighs approximately 5 kg. In the animal world, elephant- one of the most intelligent representatives of fauna in the world.

They can recognize themselves in the mirror, which is one of the signs of self-awareness. Only and can boast of this quality. Also, only chimpanzees and elephants use tools.

Observations have shown that the Indian elephant can use a tree branch as a fly swatter. Elephants have excellent memory. They easily remember places they have been and people they have interacted with.

Nutrition

Elephants love to eat. Elephants feed 16 hours a day. They need up to 450 kg various plants daily. An elephant can drink from 100 to 300 liters of water per day, depending on the weather.

In the photo there are elephants at a watering hole

Elephants are herbivores; their diet includes tree roots and bark, grass, and fruits. Animals replenish the lack of salt with the help of licks (salt that has come to the surface of the earth). In captivity, elephants eat grass and hay.

They will never give up apples, bananas, cookies and bread. Excessive love for sweets can lead to health problems, but candies of a wide variety of varieties are the most favorite delicacy.

Elephant reproduction and lifespan

Within the time frame mating season elephants are not strictly designated. However, it has been observed that during the rainy season, the birth rate of animals increases. During the period of estrus, which lasts no more than two days, the female attracts the male for mating with her cries. They stay together for no more than a few weeks. At this time, the female can move away from the herd.

Interestingly, male elephants can be homosexual. After all, the female mates only once a year, and her pregnancy lasts quite a long time. Males need sexual partners much more often, which leads to the emergence of same-sex relationships.

After 22 months, usually one cub is born. The birth takes place in the presence of all members of the herd, who are ready to help if necessary. After they are over, the whole family begins to trumpet, shout and announce the increase.

Baby elephants weigh approximately 70 to 113 kg, are about 90 cm tall and are completely toothless. Only at the age of two years do they develop small milk tusks, which will be replaced by molar tusks with age.

A newborn elephant calf needs more than 10 liters of mother's milk per day. Until two years of age, it constitutes the child’s main diet, and little by little the baby begins to eat plants.

They may also feed on their mother's feces to make it easier to digest plant branches and bark. Baby elephants always stay close to their mother, who protects and teaches him. And you have to learn a lot: drink water, move with the herd and control the trunk.

Working with a trunk is a very difficult task, constant training, lifting objects, obtaining food and water, greeting relatives, and so on. The mother elephant and members of the entire herd protect the babies from attacks and.

Animals become independent at the age of six. At 18 years of age, females can give birth. Females give birth to babies approximately once every four years. Males become mature two years later. In the wild, the life expectancy of animals is about 70 years, in captivity - 80 years. Most old elephant, who died in 2003, lived to be 86 years old.

“Elephants are useful animals,” said Sharikov in Bulgakov’s novel “ Heart of a Dog" The largest land mammal, a giant among animals. They are the main characters of many myths and legends, since their lives until recently were surrounded by an aura of mystery and uncertainty.

Description of the elephant

Elephants belong to the order Proboscis, family Elephantidae. Characteristic external signs Elephants have large ears and a long trunk, which they use like a hand. Tusks, which are hunted by poachers for valuable ivory, are an important attribute in appearance.

Appearance

All elephants unite large sizes– their height, depending on the type, can range from two to four meters. The average body length is 4.5 meters, but some particularly large specimens can grow up to 7.5 m. About 7 tons, African elephants can gain weight up to 12 tons. The body is elongated and massive, covered with dense gray or gray-fawn skin. The skin, about 2 cm thick, is lumpy, uneven, folded in places, without sebaceous and sweat glands. There is almost no hair, or it is very short in the form of bristles. Newborn elephants have thick hair, and over time the hairs fall out or break off.

Large fan-shaped ears are very mobile. Elephants fan themselves with them to cool their skin, and also use them to ward off mosquitoes. The size of the ears is important - they are larger in the southern inhabitants and smaller in the northern ones. Since the skin does not contain sweat glands that could be used to cool the body temperature through the secretion of sweat, the ears serve as a thermostat for the entire body. Their skin is very thin, penetrated by a dense capillary network. The blood in them cools and spreads throughout the body. In addition, there is a special gland near the ears, the secretion of which is produced during the mating season. By waving their ears, males spread the smell of this secretion through the air over long distances.

This is interesting! The pattern of veins on the surface of an elephant's ears is individual, like human fingerprints.

The trunk is not a modified nose, but a formation from an elongated nose and upper lip. This muscular formation serves both as an organ of smell and as a kind of “hand”: with its help, elephants feel various objects on the ground, pick grass, branches, fruits, suck up water and inject it into the mouth or spray the body. Some of the sounds that elephants make can be amplified and modified by using the trunk as a resonator. At the end of the trunk there is a small muscular process that works like a finger.

Thick, columnar-shaped, five-fingered limbs, fingers covered with common skin. Each leg has hooves - 5 or 4 on the front legs, and 3 or 4 on the hind legs. There is a pad of fat in the center of the foot that flattens with each step, increasing the area of contact with the ground. This allows elephants to walk almost silently. A peculiarity of the structure of the legs of elephants is the presence of two kneecaps, which is why the animals cannot jump. Teeth are constantly replaced.

Only the upper third incisors - the famous elephant tusks - remain permanent. Absent in female Asian elephants. Tusks grow and wear off with age. The oldest elephants have the largest and thickest tusks. The tail is approximately equal to the length of the limbs and is equipped with a stiff hair brush at the end. They fan themselves with it, driving away insects. When moving with the herd, baby elephants often hold onto the tail of their mother, aunt or nanny with their trunk.

Character and lifestyle

Elephants gather in groups of 5 to 30 individuals. The group is ruled by an adult female matriarch, the oldest and wisest. After her death, the matriarch's place is taken by the second eldest - usually a sister or daughter. In groups, all animals are related to each other. The group consists mainly of females; males, as soon as they grow up, are expelled from the herd. However, they do not go far, they stay nearby or go to another group of females. Females treat males favorably only when mating season comes.

Members of family herds have well-developed mutual assistance and mutual assistance. Everyone plays their role - there is a kind of manger, kindergarten and school. They treat each other with kindness, raise children together, and if one of the herd dies, they are very sad. Even when they come across the remains of an elephant that did not belong to the family, the elephants stop and freeze, honoring the memory of the deceased relative. In addition, elephants have a funeral ritual. Family members carry the deceased animal to the pit, blow a trumpet as a sign of farewell and respect, and then throw branches and grass over it. There are known cases when elephants buried found ones in the same way. dead people. Sometimes animals remain near the grave for several days.

African elephants sleep standing, leaning on each other. Adult males may sleep with their heavy tusks resting on a termite mound, tree, or log. Indian elephants sleep lying on the ground. Animals sleep about four hours a day, although some Africans sleep with short breaks of forty minutes. The rest of the time they move around in search of food and caring for themselves and their relatives.

Due to the size of their eyes, elephants see poorly, but at the same time they hear perfectly and have an excellent sense of smell. According to research by zoologists studying the behavior of elephants, they use infrasounds that are heard over vast distances. The sound range in the elephant language is enormous. Despite their enormous size and apparent awkwardness in their movements, elephants are extremely active and at the same time cautious animals. They usually move at a low speed - about 6 km/h, but can reach up to 30-40 km/h. They can swim and move along the bottom of reservoirs, with only their trunk above the water for breathing.

How long do elephants live?

Elephant intelligence

Despite the size of their brain, which is relatively small, elephants are considered one of the most intelligent animals. They recognize themselves in the reflection of the mirror, which indicates the presence of self-awareness. These are the second animals, besides monkeys, that use various objects as tools. For example, they use tree branches as a fan or fly swatter.

Elephants have exceptional visual, olfactory and auditory memory - they remember watering and feeding places for many kilometers around, remember people, recognize their relatives after a long separation. In captivity they are tolerant of mistreatment, but can eventually become angry. It is known that elephants experience various emotions - sadness, joy, sadness, rage, anger. Also, they are able to laugh.

This is interesting! Elephants can be both left-handed and right-handed. This is determined by the grinding of the tusk - it is ground down on the side that the elephant uses most often.

They are easy to train in captivity, which is why they are often used in circuses, and in India as riding and working animals. There are cases where trained elephants painted pictures. And in Thailand there are even elephant football championships.

Types of elephants

There are currently four species of elephants, belonging to two genera - the African elephant and the Indian elephant.. There is still debate among zoologists about the different subspecies of elephants and whether they should be considered a separate species or left in the subspecies category. For 2018 there is next classification living species:

Genus
- View of Savannah Elephant
- Forest Elephant View
Genus
- Species Indian or Asian elephant
  - Subspecies Bornean elephant
  - Subspecies Sumatran elephant
  - Subspecies Ceylon elephant

All African elephants are distinguished from their Indian relatives by the shape and size of their ears. African elephants have larger, more rounded ears. Tusks—modified upper incisors—of African elephants are worn by both males and females, and sexual dimorphism is often pronounced—the diameter and length of the incisors in males exceeds those in females. The tusks of the Indian elephant are straighter and shorter. There are differences in the structure of the trunk - Indian elephants have only one “finger”, African elephants have two. The highest point in the African elephant's body is the crown of the head, while the Indian elephant's head is lower than the shoulders.

forest elephant- a species of elephant from the genus of African elephants, previously considered a subspecies savannah elephant. Their height on average does not exceed two and a half meters. They have fairly thick, hard hair and round, massive ears. The body is gray-fawn with a brown tint due to the color of the coat.
Savannah elephant, according to the Guinness Book of Records, it is the largest species of land mammals and the third largest animal on the planet. The height of elephants at the withers can reach 3-4 meters, and the average body weight is about 6 tons. Sexual dimorphism in the size of the body and tusks is pronounced - females are somewhat smaller and have short tusks compared to males.
Indian elephant- the second of the currently existing species of elephants. It is built more massively compared to the African one. Has shorter and thicker limbs, drooping head and ears. Covered with more hair than African elephants. The back is convex and humpbacked. There are two bulges on the forehead. There are unpigmented pink areas on the skin. There are albino elephants, which serve as objects of cult and worship.
Ceylon elephant- a subspecies of the Asian elephant. It grows up to 3 m high. It differs from the Indian elephant proper in the absence of tusks even in males. The head is very large in relation to the body with a discolored spot at the base of the trunk and on the forehead.
Sumatran elephant It also has almost no tusks and is characterized by less skin depigmentation. Their height rarely reaches more than three meters.
Bornean elephant- the smallest of the subspecies, sometimes called the dwarf elephant. They differ from their relatives in having a long and thick tail, almost reaching to the ground. The tusks are straighter, and the hump on the back is more pronounced than in other subspecies.

Range, habitats

African elephants live in southern Africa in Sudan, Nambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and many other countries. The range of Indian elephants extends to the northeast and southern part India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the islands of Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Ceylon. Since all species and subspecies are listed in the Red Book, animals live in different nature reserves. African elephants prefer the shady zone of savannas, avoiding open desert landscapes and overgrown dense forests.

They can be found in primary deciduous and tropical rainforests. Some populations are found in the dry savannas of Nambia, southern Sahara, but are rather the exception general rule. Indian elephants live on tall grass plains, bush thickets and dense bamboo forests. An important aspect in the life and habitats of elephants is water. They need to drink at least once every two days, in addition to this they need almost daily bathing.

Elephant diet

Elephants are quite voracious animals. They can consume up to half a ton of food per day. They depend on their habitat, but in general they are absolutely herbivorous animals. They feed on grass, wild fruits and berries (bananas, apples), roots and rhizomes, roots, leaves, branches. African elephants can use their tusks to peel off the bark of trees and eat the wood of baobab trees. Indian elephants love ficus leaves. They can also cause damage to cultivated corn and sweet potato plantations.

The lack of salt is compensated by licks coming to the surface of the earth, or by digging it out of the ground. The lack of minerals in their diet is compensated by eating bark and wood. In captivity, elephants are fed hay and greens, pumpkins, apples, carrots, beets, and bread. For encouragement they give sweets - sugar, cookies, gingerbread. Due to overfeeding with carbohydrates, animals kept in captivity experience problems with metabolism and the gastrointestinal tract.

Reproduction and offspring

There is no seasonality in mating periods. Various females in the herd are ready to mate in different times. Males ready for mating are very excited and aggressive for two to three weeks. Their parotid glands secrete a special secretion that evaporates from the ears and the smell of which is carried by the wind over long distances. In India, this elephantine state is called must.

Important! During must, males are extremely aggressive. Many cases of attacks by male elephants on humans occur during the musth period.

Females, ready for mating, are somewhat separated from the herd, and their calling calls can be heard for many kilometers. Males are attracted to such females and start battles for the right to continue their family line. Usually fights are not anything serious - the opponents spread their ears to appear larger and trumpet loudly. The one who is bigger and louder wins. If the forces are equal, the males begin to cut down trees and pick up fallen trunks to show their strength. Sometimes the winner chases the loser away several kilometers.

Lasts 21-22 weeks. Childbirth takes place in the company of other females, the more experienced ones help and protect the giving birth from the encroachment of predators. Most often, one baby elephant is born, but sometimes there are cases of twins being born. The newborn weighs about a hundred kilograms. After a couple of hours, the baby elephants rise to their feet and kiss their mother’s chest. Immediately after the birth, the family loudly welcomes the newborn - the elephants trumpet and scream, announcing to the world about the addition to the family.

Important! Elephants' nipples are not located in the groin, as in many mammals, but on the chest, near the front legs, as in primates. Baby elephants suck milk with their mouths, not their trunks.

Feeding with mother's milk lasts up to two years, and all female elephants that produce milk feed the elephants. Already at six months old, baby elephants add plant foods to their diet. Sometimes baby elephants feed on their mother's feces because only a certain percentage of the food consumed is digested. It is easier for a baby elephant to digest plant elements that have already been treated with food enzymes.

Elephant calves are cared for by their mothers, aunts and grandmothers until they are about 5 years old, but the affection remains for almost their entire lives. Mature males are expelled from the herd, and females remain, making up for the natural decline of the herd. Elephants become sexually mature at approximately 8-12 years of age.

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

Where do elephants live?

African elephant habitats

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

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

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

Read about the diet of elephants in the article.

Where does the Indian elephant live?

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

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

Unlike their African relatives, Indian elephants prefer to settle in tropical and subtropical forests with dense bushes and thickets of bamboo. Sometimes in the cold season they go out into the steppes, but this is possible only in nature reserves, since the rest of the steppes have become agricultural land. In warm weather, elephants migrate along forest slopes to the Himalayas and are found at altitudes of up to 3,500 meters above sea level.