Elephants are the largest mammals on earth. Their great size and beauty have awakened the admiration of all the human civilizations that knew them. Throughout history, they have been used to transport objects and even to wage wars. Subsequently, they were captured in the wild for display in zoos and circuses, as well as for walking with tourists visiting South Asia.
However, very few people know that these animals have a very similar intelligence to ours, and are able to develop all known emotions in humans. However, this has not diminished the ivory hunt, which is its greatest threat today. Want to know more about these interesting animals? Don’t miss this Animal Expert article about what the elephant eats, in which we will tell you many other curiosities.
- Elephantidae are a family of mammals belonging to the order Proboscidea.
- They are characterized by their large size and longevity.
- With a life expectancy of about 80 years.
- One of the main characteristics of elephants are their huge ears.
- Which caress to regulate their temperature.
- Although it may seem.
- They do not fade.
- But use their ears to get rid of excess heat accumulated in their bodies.
Another important feature of elephants is their long, strong nose, better known as a trunk. Thanks to her, these animals have one of the best senses of smell of the animal kingdom. In addition, they use their trunk to collect water and spray the body, as if it were a bath. They also use it to get food and then take it to their mouths. Later we’ll see how and exactly what the elephant eats.
Finally, the most unknown feature of elephants is that they have a very large brain in relation to their size. In addition, they are animals with the highest volume of cerebral cortex and their hippocampus is one of the largest in the world. This gives them great cognitive and emotional ability. In fact, their intelligence is believed to be very similar to ours, as well as their empathy and the way they socialize.
Its habitat depends on each species. Currently, there are only three species, which live in quite different places. Here is the habitat of each of them:
As mentioned above, elephants use their tubes to collect high and low food. In addition, they can be caught directly with the mouth, if the height is moderate. If food is buried in the ground, they must first dig it up with their feet and fangs, which also helps them find water. But what exactly does the elephant eat?
The diet of elephants is based on the grass, roots, leaves and bark of certain trees and shrubs. Therefore, elephants are herbivorous animals. To maintain their enormous body size, they must eat about 15 hours a day and can consume up to 150 kg of plants a day. The specific diet depends on the different types of elephants and, mainly, on where they live.
Forest elephants and Asians mainly eat leaves and bark. In addition, they usually consume a significant amount of fruit. This is a fundamental difference with the savannah elephant, as the availability of fruit in this ecosystem is very limited. The feeding of the savannah elephant also depends a lot on the season. During dry seasons, herbs are rare, so they feed on shrubs and acacias.
The elephant’s trunk isn’t just about drinking water. In fact, this part of the elephant’s body is very important to allow it to obtain food.
Its large wingspan and musculature allow this animal to use the trunk as if it were a hand and thus collect the leaves and fruits from the tallest branches of the trees. Elephants are very intelligent creatures and the way to use the trunk is a good proof of that.
When they cannot reach certain branches, they can shake the trees so that their leaves and fruits fall to the ground. In this way, they also make it easier for puppies to obtain food. We must not forget that elephants always travel in flocks.
As if that wasn’t enough, elephants can cut a tree to eat their leaves. Finally, they can still eat the bark of the woodier part of some plants if they are hungry and cannot find another food.
Peanuts are a legume native to South America, so elephants do not eat peanuts in their natural state. However, when screened in zoos and circuses, spectators often give them peanuts. Due to their large amount of fat, they are very appetizing fruits for elephants, although their excessive consumption is not healthy.
Now that we know what elephants eat, he certainly keeps asking themselves many questions. For this reason, we have compiled some interesting aspects of its biology and behavior. here are some fun facts about the elephant.
At birth, the average weight of an elephant is about 90 kg. As it grows, its size increases significantly, weighing between 5,000 and 6,000 kg. The largest elephants are those of the savannah, which can reach up to 4 meters in height.
Elephants are very fast animals that easily reach 25 kilometers per hour. Not because they’re good runners, but because of their big size. In fact, they don’t run as you can imagine, but run with their forelegs and walk with their hind legs. This allows them to use their energy very efficiently.
Elephants form herds of about 15 to 20 members, with the exception of forest elephants, whose groups are generally slightly smaller. These herds are matriarchated led by the oldest female and have virtually no males. In fact, men only remain in the group until they reach sexual maturity. When the time comes, they separate from the herd and live alone, although some may form groups with other males.
Like humans, elephants are sociable and sociable animals that establish very strong bonds with members of their herds. In fact, behaviors such as grief have been recorded after the loss of a loved one and the adoption of orphaned babies. It is also very common for different herds to gather to socialize during the bath.
Elephants are gestation 22 months or almost 2 years old. However, it takes very little time to give birth. At each birth, a single baby is born and is approximately 1 meter tall. At this point, he becomes one more member of the herd, in which everyone is responsible for protecting him from potential predators.
The little elephant will spend a year hiding under her mother’s long legs while breastfeeding. After that, start supplementing your diet with leaves and the milder parts of plants. However, it was not until the age of 4 that he stopped drinking milk and began to become more independent.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Balanced Diets section.