INTERESTING FACTS
ABOUT ELEPHANTS
G'day folks,
Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the
order Proboscidea. Three species are recognised, the African bush
elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant.
Elephants are some of the most loved and admired creatures
on earth. While coveted for their valuable ivory tusks, used to transport heavy
cargo, or for primary symbolism in religious ceremonies, Elephants have become
key figures not only in the animal kingdom, but also among many rural and
traditional civilizations. Among the most commonly known facts about Elephants
are: they can weigh anywhere between 6,000 and 15,000 lbs; are herbivores that
enjoy the occasional sweet banana and sugar cane; and love to travel and hunt
in large pacts. But, there are so many unique and dazzling traits about the
Elephant that are largely unknown. Below is a list of 10 facts about Elephants which may surprise the most observant
Elephant lover.
1) Ever
wondered how groups of Elephants communicate with each other over long
distances? Their infrequent whine would be a good guess, but not nearly as
awesome as the answer. Studies show that pacts of Elephants can stomp the
ground with their feet, sending sub-sonic ripples through the ground, which the
receiving pact can collect through the sensitive nerves in their feet! This
ground-shaking rumble is so powerful and fast, it is transported faster than
sound waves through the air.
2) Yes,
Elephants are herbivores, but that doesn’t mean that they will simply eat
anything that wasn’t in the form of a dead specie. Elephants actually have food
preferences and peanuts is most certainly not one of them. Elephants detest the
woody taste of peanuts so much, they avoid them in the wildlife and when in
zoos, keepers are careful to remember not include them in their diet.
3)
Elephants don’t just have an infatuation with sand, it’s a necessity for them.
Despite their seemingly tough, weather-worn wrinkled skin, Elephants have the
tendency to get sunburned. To avoid suffering under harsh rays of sunlight,
Elephants douse their bodies in sand by using their trunks to toss it over
their backs and legs. This procedure serves as a skin protector against rays
and irritating insects. Elephants also take care to rub their young in sand, as
their skin is more sensitive.
4) How
much food and water must an Elephant consume everyday to stay strong and
healthy? Elephants require up to forty gallons of water per day, and need as
much as 400 pounds of food daily in order to survive.
5) While
humans have only two sets of teeth in their lifetime (milk teeth and
permanent), Elephants gain six sets of twenty-six teeth over the span of their
seventy years. Each new set of teeth push the old ones out and take root. If
this process is for some reason prohibited, an Elephant can face death by
starvation.
6) Tusks
are, along with the trunk, the most recognizable traits of an Elephant.
However, unlike the African Elephants, not all Asian Elephants have tusks. The
female Asian Elephants do not have the privilege of tusks and only some of the
male Asian Elephants are born with these highly sought after traits.
7) The
Elephant can dazzle observers with their ground communication techniques, walk
at the crawling pace of four miles per hour, and can actually swim for long
distances at a time. What the Elephant cannot do is jump because of its
enormous weight, or gallop away when under threat.
8)
Massive Elephant herds are led by the most experienced or aged Elephant who is
a matriarch. Both female and males will follow her lead, but for males, they
tend to leave the herd after twelve years to join their male peers.
9) The
legs of an Elephant are perhaps the strongest parts of its entire body.
Carrying more than 6,000 lbs of weight, the Elephant’s legs don’t get easily
fatigued, because the Elephant does not sleep lying down. So sturdy are it’s
pillar-like legs that the Elephant simply falls asleep standing up for two to three
hours at a time before returning to eat or migrate from one destination to the
next.
10) There
are thousands of nerves in an Elephant’s trunk, and many observations over
years have proven that Elephants are extremely emotional creatures capable of
mimicking sounds, feeling sadness, glee, and anger. Even more interesting is
how many emotional or traditional traits Elephants have in common with humans.
Young Elephants suck their trunks for comfort just as young human infants suck
their thumbs. In terms of tradition, Elephants become very attached to each
other in pacts, so when an Elephant grows old or sick, its fellow Elephants
band together to help the Elephant eat, drink, and stand. When such nurturing
methods fail and the Elephant dies, funeral processions are held where
Elephants pause their travels, have silence, grieve, and finally, bury the
Elephant by digging a ditch and covering the body with sand.
Clancy's comment: I've seen hundreds of them over the years, and I still enjoy watching them. An amazing creature.
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