The largest elephant. Elephants and everything about them. The most interesting facts. The largest whale in the world

It's easy to guess that African elephant lives in Africa, almost throughout the continent. It is the largest land animal, reaching a weight of more than 3 tons. The African elephant is quite tall - 4 meters. This type of elephant has quite large and pronounced tusks. In males, the tusks are large - up to three meters; in females they do not reach even a meter. The trunk of elephants is formed by the fusion of the upper lip and nose. Elephants - herbivores mammals, prefer grass, leaves, branches as food. Elephants live in families of several individuals (the number of individuals is approximately 10-15 in each group). Elephants are very friendly to each other, and peace reigns in their family. Adult elephants carefully guard young elephants, and when a baby is born, the whole family seems to rejoice. The female carries the cub for quite a long time - almost two years. Usually one baby elephant is born. After birth, the cub feeds on mother’s milk for 2 years and only after five years lives independently. Life expectancy of elephants: 50-60 years.

Indian elephant

Habitat: India, Southeast Asia. It is slightly smaller than the African elephant. Compared to the African elephant, the Indian elephant has smaller ears and less pronounced tusks. Some females have no tusks at all. The elephant also feeds on grass and various fruits. By the way, all elephants feed with the help of their trunk: they take food with their trunk and put it in their mouth. They also drink using their trunk. The Indian elephant is more friendly towards people, so they are caught for circuses and zoos more often than African elephants. Now the population of Indian elephants has sharply declined.

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How many species of elephants are there in the world?

African forest elephant

To date, only two species have survived in the elephant family (Familia Elephantidae Sgau): Indian elephants, which are found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, as well as on the Indochina Peninsula, and African elephants, which zoologists divide into those living in savannas (savanna elephants) and living in tropical forests(forest elephants).

African and Indian elephants differ in body structure
and disposition.

These differences are large enough that crossing elephants of two different species does not produce offspring.

The African elephant is taller than the Indian elephant, its ears are larger, its skin is rougher, its trunk is thinner, the tusks, which both males and females have, are more developed; The weight of males reaches 5 - 7.5 tons, females - 3 - 4 tons.

Indian male elephants weigh 4.5 - 5 tons, females - 3 - 4 tons; Females, as a rule, do not have tusks.

Both African and Indian elephants live in herds.

The basis of the herd is a family group of two to five, sometimes more, elephants related by family relationships (most often this is an old female elephant and her offspring of different generations).

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Origin of modern elephants

As is known, both species of elephants are descendants of Proboscidea - an ancient animal with a trunk. Elephants living today are descended from two different branches of ancestors that developed in parallel. Both of them developed when dinosaurs dominated the earth. It was then that Moeritheres, tapir-like animals, appeared on the territory of modern Egypt.

This happened in the Paleocene era (65 million years ago).

How many species of elephants live on earth?

The structure of the skull and the arrangement of the teeth of these proboscideans were almost the same as those of the modern elephant, and the four teeth were the harbingers of modern tusks. Another branch was represented by Deinotheriidae, animals that lived in Africa and Eurasia.

Being in favorable conditions, all these animals over the next twenty-six million years spread throughout Africa and Eurasia, and over time, throughout Northern and South America. Different climatic conditions and habitats have led to the emergence of different species of proboscis.

They lived everywhere - from the polar ice cap to the desert, including the tundra, taiga, and forests, as well as savannah and swamps. All species, and there were more than three hundred of them, can be divided into four main classes.

Deinotherium lived in the Eocene era (58 million years ago) and was very similar to modern elephants. They were much smaller, had a shorter trunk, and two large tusks curled down and back. This class became extinct 2.5 million years ago.

Gomphotherium lived during the Oligocene era (37 million years ago).

They had an elephant's body, but a vestigial trunk. The teeth were similar to those of modern elephants, but there were also four small tusks, two of which were twisted up and two down. Some had wide, flat jaws that allowed them to scoop up swamp vegetation. Others had significantly smaller jaws, but more developed tusks. This species became extinct approximately 10,000 years ago.

From Gomphotherium in the Miocene-Pleistocene era (10-12 million years ago) Mamutidae (Mammutidae), often called mastodons, evolved.

These animals were almost the same as elephants, but had a more powerful body, long tusks and long trunk. They also differed in the location of their teeth. The eyes of mastodons were much smaller, and there was dense tissue on the body. hairline.

It is assumed that mastodons lived in forests until primitive people came to the continent (approximately 18,000 years ago).

Elephantids (Elephantidae) evolved from mastodons in the Pleistocene era (1.6 million years ago) and gave rise to the family Mammuthus, the closest family to prehistoric elephants, the huge woolly mammoths and two lineages of modern elephants: Elephas and Loxodonta. Mammuthus imperator, who lived in the southern part North America, was the largest mammoth: 4.5 meters (15 ft) at the withers.

The northern woolly mammoth, Mammus primigehius, lived in northern North America and Eurasia. Its numbers were enormous.

This species is the most studied, as several whole frozen individuals have been found, which are still stored in this form to this day.

Woolly mammoths were slightly larger than modern elephants and protected themselves from the cold with long, dense, reddish fur and a 76 millimeter (3 in) thick layer of fat under their skin.

Their long tusks were curled downwards, forwards and inwards and served to tear apart the snow covering the vegetation. The African and Indian elephant are all that remain today of their many ancestors.

Information sent by: Malyakina Z. E. MGAVMiB im. K.I. Scriabin.

Types of elephants

Of these two varieties, African elephants are in turn divided into two species (savannah and forest), while the Asian elephant is divided into four species (Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumartan and Borneo).

Elephants, like people, are capable of change, and change depending on their character, emotions and personal qualities (individual characteristics). Asian elephants have been very important to Asian culture for thousands of years - they have been domesticated and are now used as vehicle in difficult terrain, for carrying heavy objects such as logs, and at festivals and the circus.

Currently, the Indian elephant is the largest, it has longer front legs and more thin body than its Thai counterparts. We will dwell in more detail on Thai elephants, although of course these characteristics apply to all types of Asian Elephants. Let's pay attention to some small details. Using our own experience and taking into account information from numerous other sources, we will tell you our own interpretation.

Asian elephants

About half of them are domesticated, the rest live in wildlife in National parks and reserves. Around 300 are suffering in Bangkok's deplorable conditions. It is known that at the beginning of the 20th century (1900 AD) more than 100,000 elephants lived in Siam (Thai) rural areas. Asian elephants are smaller than African ones.

How many species of elephants are there in the world?

They have smaller ears, and only males have tusks.

The first species is the Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus). They live on the island of Sri Lanka. A large male can reach 5,400 kg (12,000 lb) and be over 3.4 m (11 ft) tall. Sri Lankan males have very convex skulls.

Their head, trunk and belly are usually bright pink.

Another species, the Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) makes up the majority of the Asian elephant population. There are about 36,000 of them, they are light gray, with depigmentation only on the ears and trunk. A large male averages only 5,000 kg (11,000 lb), but they are still as tall as the Sri Lankan.

Indian elephants are found in eleven Asian countries, from India to Indonesia. They prefer forests and areas between forests and fields where a greater variety of food is available to them.

The smallest group of elephants is the Sumartan elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus). There are only 2100 - 3000 individuals. They are very light gray with pink only on the ears. A mature Sumartan elephant reaches only 1.7-2.6 m (5.6-8.5 ft) in height and weighs less than 3,000 kg (6,600 lb).

Although it is, of course, a huge animal in any case, the Sumartan elephant is nevertheless much smaller than any other Asian (and African) and exists only on the island of Sumatra, usually in forests and groves.

In 2003 at Borneo island Another species of elephant was discovered. They were called Borneo Dwarf Elephants, they are smaller and calmer, more docile than other Asian elephants.

They have relatively large ears, more a long tail and straighter fangs.

African elephants

Elephants of the genus Loxodonta, known as African elephants, are currently found in 37 countries in Africa. The African elephant is the largest living land animal. It is characterized by a massive, heavy body, a large head on a short neck, thick limbs, huge ears and a long, muscular trunk.

The most striking difference from Asian ones is the ears. Africans have them much larger and are shaped like the continent of their origin.

Both male and female African elephants have tusks and are typically less hairy than their Asian counterparts. Tusks grow throughout an elephant's life and serve as an indicator of its age. Historically, African elephants have been observed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, the area where elephants live has been greatly reduced. The African elephant has become completely extinct in Burundi, Gambia and Mauritania; some species have survived further north, in Mali. Despite their wide distribution area, elephants are mainly concentrated in national parks and reserves.

Traditionally, there are two species of African elephants, namely the Savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) and the Forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis).

The African savannah elephant is the largest of all elephants. In fact, it is the largest animal on Earth in the world, reaching 4 m (13 ft) in height and weighing approximately 7,000 kg (7.7 tons).

The average male is about 3 m (10 ft) tall and weighs 5500-6000 kg (6.1-6.6 tons), the female is much smaller. Most often, Savannah elephants are found in open fields, swamps, and on the shores of lakes.

They mainly live in the savannah and migrate south from the Sahara Desert.

Compared to the Savannah Elephant, the African Forest Elephant's ears are typically smaller and more prominent. round shape, the tusks are thinner and straighter. The forest elephant weighs up to 4,500 kg (10,000 lb) and reaches a height of 3 m (10 ft). Much less is known about these animals than about their savannah counterparts; emerging political differences and the habitat conditions of African forest elephants prevent their study.

Typically, they inhabit the impenetrable tropical forests of central and western Africa. The largest populations of Forest Elephants are currently found in Southern and Eastern Africa.

There are two species of elephant - the African elephant (genus: Loxodonta) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). They are different, but there are still some striking differences. African elephants number approximately 500,000, while the number of Asian elephants is declining dramatically, with less than 30,000 remaining.

Of these two species, African elephants are further divided into two species (savannah and forest), while Asian elephants are divided into four species (Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumartan and Borneo). Elephants, like people, are capable of change, and change depending on their character, emotions and personal qualities (individual characteristics).

Asian elephants have been very important to Asian culture for thousands of years - they have been domesticated and are now used for transportation in difficult terrain, for carrying heavy objects such as logs, and at festivals and in the circus. Currently, the Indian elephant is the largest, with longer front legs and a slimmer body than its Thai counterparts. We will dwell in more detail on Thai elephants, although of course these characteristics apply to all types of Asian Elephants.

Let's pay attention to some small details. Using our own experience and taking into account information from numerous other sources, we will tell you our own interpretation.

Asian elephants

They are officially considered an endangered species; in Thailand their numbers reach only 3,000-4,000.

About half of them are domesticated, the rest live in the wild in National Parks and Reserves. Around 300 are suffering in Bangkok's deplorable conditions. It is known that in the early 20th century (1900 AD) more than 100,000 elephants lived in the Siamese (Thai) countryside.

Asian elephants are smaller than African ones. They have smaller ears, and only males have tusks.

The first species is the Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus). They live on the island of Sri Lanka. A large male can reach 5,400 kg (12,000 lb) and be over 3.4 m (11 ft) tall.

Sri Lankan males have very convex skulls. Their head, trunk and belly are usually bright pink.

Another species, the Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) makes up the majority of the Asian elephant population.

There are about 36,000 of them, they are light gray, with depigmentation only on the ears and trunk. A large male averages only 5,000 kg (11,000 lb), but they are still as tall as the Sri Lankan. Indian elephants are found in eleven Asian countries, from India to Indonesia.

They prefer forests and areas between forests and fields where a greater variety of food is available to them.

The smallest group of elephants is the Sumartan elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus).

There are only 2100 - 3000 individuals.

Elephant - description, species, where it lives

They are a very light gray color with pink only on the ears. A mature Sumartan elephant reaches only 1.7-2.6 m (5.6-8.5 ft) in height and weighs less than 3,000 kg (6,600 lb). Although it is, of course, a huge animal in any case, the Sumartan elephant is nevertheless much smaller than any other Asian (and African) and exists only on the island of Sumatra, usually in forests and groves.

In 2003, another species of elephant was discovered on the island of Borneo.

They were called Borneo Dwarf Elephants, they are smaller and calmer, more docile than other Asian elephants. They have relatively large ears, a longer tail, and straighter fangs.

African elephants

Elephants of the genus Loxodonta, known as African elephants, are currently found in 37 countries in Africa.

The African elephant is the largest living land animal. It is characterized by a massive, heavy body, a large head on a short neck, thick limbs, huge ears and a long, muscular trunk.

The most striking difference from Asian ones is the ears. Africans have them much larger and are shaped like the continent of their origin. Both male and female African elephants have tusks and are typically less hairy than their Asian counterparts. Tusks grow throughout an elephant's life and serve as an indicator of its age.

Historically, African elephants have been observed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, the area where elephants live has been greatly reduced. The African elephant has become completely extinct in Burundi, Gambia and Mauritania; some species have survived further north, in Mali. Despite their wide distribution area, elephants are mainly concentrated in national parks and reserves. Traditionally, there are two species of African elephants, namely the Savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) and the Forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis).

The African savannah elephant is the largest of all elephants. In fact, it is the largest animal on Earth in the world, reaching 4 m (13 ft) in height and weighing approximately 7,000 kg (7.7 tons). The average male is about 3 m (10 ft) tall and weighs 5500-6000 kg (6.1-6.6 tons), the female is much smaller. Most often, Savannah elephants are found in open fields, swamps, and on the shores of lakes. They mainly live in the savannah and migrate south from the Sahara Desert.

Compared to the Savannah Elephant, the ears of the African Forest Elephant are usually smaller and more rounded, and the tusks are thinner and straighter.

The forest elephant weighs up to 4,500 kg (10,000 lb) and reaches a height of 3 m (10 ft). Much less is known about these animals than about their savannah counterparts; emerging political differences and the habitat conditions of African forest elephants prevent their study. Typically, they inhabit the impenetrable tropical forests of central and western Africa.

The largest populations of Forest Elephants are currently found in Southern and Eastern Africa.

. African elephant
. Indian elephant
. The fate of elephants in Africa
. About Indian elephants
. Indian working elephants
. African savannah elephant
. What is an Indian elephant?
. What is an African elephant?
. Origin of modern elephants
. Andrey Kornilov and circus elephants
. Did the mammoth hunt or warming influence the disappearance of the animal?
. forest elephant
. The smallest elephant

Body: The color varies from brown to dark gray, the hair of elephants is long, coarse, and sparsely covers the body. Elephants have thick skin that protects them from the cold.

Elephant - brief description, breeding process, interesting facts (89 photos + video)

The elephant also has four thick legs to support their enormous weight.

Vision: Elephants are quite nearsighted, able to see clearly only at very close distances, up to approximately 10 meters.

Hearing: Excellent hearing by human standards. Large ears act as amplifiers and warn of possible dangers.

Smell: A well-developed sense of smell surpasses that of any other mammal on Earth.

Touch: An amazing sense of balance is a consequence of an excellent sense of touch.

The elephant's trunk, an incredibly versatile organ, plays a large role in this ability. You will find a more detailed description of the elephant's trunk on this page.

Taste: Like all highly developed animals, food is sufficient and the elephant can easily distinguish between good, bad and favorite food.

Teeth and tusks: Male Asian African elephants have large tusks - up to 1.5 - 1.8 m in length, while females have no tusks at all.

African elephants have long tusks in both sexes. Newborn elephants have tusks that are only 2 inches long. And only when they reach two years of age do the tusks begin to grow. In fact, tusks are the teeth of elephants. The only creature that also has tusks is the walrus. Elephants need tusks to dig the ground for food, remove garbage, fight, and carry loads weighing up to 1 ton, such as timber.

The molars (chewing teeth) are at least 30 cm (1 ft) long and weigh approximately 4 kg (8.8 lbs). Elephants have only four of these teeth. When new molars form, they completely displace the old ones. During its life, an elephant usually replaces its molars six times; the last ones grow in at about 40 years of age. When, around the age of 70, they break down, it becomes difficult for the elephant to eat, and subsequently, many of the elephants die of starvation.

Tusks never stop growing.

Legs: An elephant's legs are large, straight pillar-like supports because they must support all of its enormous weight.

Therefore, the elephant does not need developed muscles to stand, since it has straight legs and soft pads on its feet. Thus, an elephant can stand on its feet for a very long time without getting tired. In fact, African elephants rarely lie down unless they are tired or sick.

Indian elephants, on the contrary, lie down often.

An elephant's feet are almost circular in shape. The African elephant has three claws on its hind legs and four on its front legs. The Indians have four on the back and five on the front.

The peculiar structure of the soles (a special springy mass located under the skin) makes the gait of elephants almost silent.

Under the weight of the elephant, the bulges of the sole increase, and when the weight decreases, they also deflate. Thanks to this, the elephant can plunge deep into the mud and move through swampy terrain: when the animal stretches its leg out of the quagmire, the sole takes the shape of a cone narrowing downwards; when stepping, the sole flattens under the weight of the body, increasing the area of ​​support.

Elephants are good swimmers, but they cannot walk fast, jump, or gallop.

They can walk only in two ways: normal walking, and a faster one, similar to running. When walking, the legs act like pendulums, the hips and shoulders rise and fall while the feet remain on the ground. Thus, elephants always have at least one foot on the ground.

When walking quickly, an elephant has three feet on the ground at the same time. When walking at a normal pace, an elephant's speed is approximately 3 to 6 km/h (2 to 4 mph), but can reach a maximum of 40 km/h (24 mph).

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. Anatomy of an elephant
. Why does an elephant need a trunk and tusks?
. Sensitive Organs
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. Male reproductive system
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Elephants are recognized as the largest land mammals that live on Earth. Since ancient times, people have noted their intelligence, endurance and strength. These animals are trainable, have excellent memory, and there are even those that, after long training, can pick up a brush with their trunk and draw a picture. Elephants are incredible creatures.

Having chosen the vast expanses of Africa and India as their homeland, these animals have not only enormous dimensions, but also a trunk, large ears and tusks that are unique to them. They often take mud baths, with the help of which they actually escape from the bites of annoying insects. The dirt dries on their skin, creating a kind of protective crust that mosquitoes and flies cannot penetrate with their stings, which only emphasizes the intelligence of the animals.

On average, elephants can reach a weight of 8 tons. However, there is a recorded case in history where the animal weighed more than 12.6 tons. Such an elephant was caught by people in Angola back in the 19th century. There are only written references to it, which indicate that the animal's tusks weighed at least 50 kilograms each. What are the dimensions of the current one? the biggest elephant in the world?

According to all data, the largest elephant is now in Israel in one of the country’s zoos called “Safari”. He is a true long-liver, because he is already in his thirties, and he is still in good physical shape and continues to gain weight, increasing in volume. The problem turned out to be the gate, which serves as a passage to the yard, because over time it became too small for the African giant. He has to crouch down to get through them. Overseers and qualified people who understand these animals claim that this is even beneficial for the animal.

The honored resident of Safari is named Yossi. His height is 3.8 meters. The animal weighs more than 6 tons. It has a meter-long tail and a trunk 2.6 meters long. What can we talk about if his ears alone are more than a meter long? Experts explain its size by the powerful genes that are embedded in the creature, and also note the importance of proper and balanced nutrition.

It is worth noting that even the most big elephant on the planet will not be able to withstand and carry a load that is more than a quarter of the weight of his body. Among the interesting facts about these creatures is that although they have incredible powerful legs, are the only animals on the planet that cannot jump. Their size and stomach volume allow them to absorb about two hundred kilograms of food and a little in just one day. more water.

They always sleep standing up. Only when they are small can they fall over on one side, but as they grow up, they don’t even like to squat, much less kneel down. At the same time, weight and such a lifestyle do not at all prevent them from accelerating at more than 40 kilometers per hour when they need to. In a panic, an elephant can completely destroy a brick wall standing in its way and not pay attention to it.

There are up to half a million African elephants in the world; Asian elephants are about 10 times smaller. As you know, elephants are large and very intelligent animals, which have served humans for peaceful and military purposes since ancient times.

Giants

Elephants are the most gigantic land animals on Earth. Their average weight reaches five tons, and their body length is 6-7 meters. In 1956, an elephant weighing 11 tons was killed in Angola.

A female elephant carries a baby for 22 months, the newborn weighs 120 kilograms.

The brain of an elephant weighs 5 kilograms, the heart - 20-30 kilograms. It beats at a frequency of 30 beats per minute.

To feed such a “colossus”, an elephant has to look for food and eat most of the day, at least 20 hours. An elephant eats from 45 to 450 kilograms of plant food per day and drinks from 100 to 300 liters of water.

Elephants live 50-70 years. But there are also reporters. War elephant (served in the Chinese army) Lin Wang from Taiwan died in 2003 at the age of 86.

Smarties

Aristotle wrote: “The elephant is an animal that surpasses all others in wit and intelligence.” Elephants really have a very good memory and developed intelligence. Elephants also turned out to be capable of learning human language.

An elephant named Kaushik, living in Asia, has learned to imitate human speech, or rather, five words: annyong (hello), anja (sit), aniya (no), nuo (lie down) and choah (good).

Kaushik not only mindlessly repeats them, but, according to observers, understands their meaning, since these are either commands that he carries out, or words of encouragement and disapproval.

Communication

Elephants usually communicate using infrasound, so for a long time the elephant's tongue remained unsolved. Research by Christian Herbst of the University of Vienna on the larynx of a dead elephant showed that elephants use their vocal cords to communicate.

The “vocabulary” of the elephant language turned out to be quite rich - Herbst recorded about 470 different stable signals that elephants use.

They can use them to communicate with each other over long distances, warn of danger, report births, and use various addresses to members of the herd, depending on their position in the hierarchy.

Trunk

An elephant's trunk is actually an extension of its upper lip. With the help of their trunk, elephants make tactile contact, say hello, can take objects, draw, drink and wash themselves. The trunk of the trunk can simultaneously hold up to eight liters of water. The trunk also has more than 40,000 receptors. Elephants have a very good sense of smell.

Tusks

Elephants, like people, can be left-handed or right-handed. Depending on which tusk the elephant works more, one of them becomes smaller.

Over the past century and a half, the average length of elephant tusks in both Africa and India has been halved.

This is due to the fact that the largest representatives of the population become victims of poachers, and the length of the tusks is a genetically inherited trait.

The tusks of deceased elephants are extremely rare to find. Because of this, for a long time there was an opinion that elephants go to die on mysterious elephant cemeteries. Only in the last century it was discovered that porcupines eat tusks, thus compensating for mineral hunger.

Taming the Elephants

Elephants, although intelligent animals, can also be dangerous. Male elephants periodically go through a state of so-called “must”. At this time, the level of testosterone in the blood of animals is 60 times higher than normal.

In order to achieve balance and obedience in elephants, they begin to be trained from early childhood.

One of the most effective methods like this: a baby elephant’s leg is tied to a tree trunk. Gradually he gets used to the fact that it is impossible to free himself from this state. When the animal grows up, it is enough to tie it to a young tree, and the elephant will not try to free itself.

Funeral rite

Elephants not only high level intelligence, but also sensitive hearts. When someone from an elephant family dies, his relatives lift him up with their trunks, loudly turbulate him, and then roll him to a depression and cover him with branches and throw earth at him. Then the elephants sit silently next to the body for several more days.

There are also cases where elephants also try to bury people, sometimes mistaking sleeping people for dead.

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

Photo of the tallest elephant

“Elephants are useful animals,” said Sharikov in Bulgakov’s novel “The 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 big 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 secret of which is produced in 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 can sleep by laying down heavy tusks 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 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. As of 2018, there is the following classification of 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 most high point in the body of the African elephant - the crown of the head, while in the Indian elephant the head is lowered below the shoulders.

• forest elephant- a species of elephant from the genus of African elephants, previously considered a subspecies of the savannah elephant. Their height on average does not exceed two and a half meters. They have fairly thick, hard hair and round, massive ears. Body grey-fawn with brown tint due to the color of the coat.
• Savannah elephant, according to the Guinness Book of Records, it is the largest species terrestrial 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– subspecies 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 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 of India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the islands of Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and 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 ready to mate different time. 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 lineage. 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 are added to the diet plant foods. 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.