Elephants and everything about them. The most interesting facts

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

The elephant is the largest land animal of the class mammals, such as chordates, of the order Proboscis, of the elephant family (Elephantidae).

Elephant - description, characteristics and photos

Elephants are giants among animals. The height of the elephant is 2 - 4 m. The weight of the elephant is from 3 to 7 tons. Elephants in Africa, especially savannah ones, often weigh up to 10 - 12 tons. The elephant's powerful body is covered with thick (up to 2.5 cm) brown or gray skin with deep wrinkles. Elephant calves are born with sparse bristles, while adults are practically devoid of vegetation.

The head of the animal is quite large with ears of remarkable size. Elephant ears have a fairly large surface area; they are thick at the base with thin edges; as a rule, they are a good regulator of heat exchange. Fanning the ears allows the animal to increase the cooling effect. An elephant's leg has 2 kneecaps.

This structure makes the elephant the only mammal that cannot jump. In the center of the foot there is a pad of fat that springs with every step, which allows these powerful animals to move almost silently.

The elephant's trunk is an amazing and unique organ formed by a fused nose and upper lip. Tendons and more than 100 thousand muscles make it strong and flexible. The trunk performs a number of important functions, simultaneously providing the animal with breathing, smell, touch and grasping food. Through their trunks, elephants protect themselves, water themselves, eat, communicate, and even raise their offspring. Another “attribute” of appearance is the elephant’s tusks. They grow throughout life: the more powerful the tusks, the older their owner.

An elephant's tail is about the same length as its hind legs. The tip of the tail is framed by coarse hair, which helps repel insects. The elephant's voice is specific. The sounds that an adult animal makes are called grunts, moos, whispers and elephant roars. The lifespan of an elephant is approximately 70 years.

Elephants can swim very well and love water activities, and their average speed of movement on land reaches 3-6 km/h.

When running short distances, the elephant's speed sometimes increases to 50 km/h.

Types of elephants

In the family of living elephants, there are three main species, belonging to two genera:

• genus African elephants(Loxodonta) are divided into 2 types:
  • savannah elephant(Loxodonta africana)

It is distinguished by its gigantic size, dark color, developed tusks and two processes at the end of the trunk. Inhabits along the equator throughout Africa;

African elephant (savannah elephant)

• • forest elephant(Loxodonta cyclotis)

has a small height (up to 2.5 m at the withers) and rounded ears. This species of elephant is common in tropical African forests.

Species often interbreed and produce quite viable offspring.

• Genus Indian(Asian) elephants ( Elephas) includes one type - Indian elephant ( Elephas maximus)

It is smaller than the Savannah, but has a more powerful build and short legs. Color - from brown to dark gray. A distinctive feature of this species of elephants is small quadrangular-shaped ears and one appendage at the end of the trunk. The Indian or Asian elephant is distributed in the tropical and subtropical forests of India, China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Indian elephant

Where and how do elephants live?

African elephants live almost throughout the entire territory of hot Africa: in Namibia and Senegal, in Kenya and Zimbabwe, in Guinea and the Republic of Congo, in Sudan and South Africa, elephants feel great in Zambia and Somalia. The bulk of the livestock, unfortunately, is forced to live in national reserves so as not to become prey to barbaric poachers. The elephant lives on any landscape, but tries to avoid deserts and too dense tropical forests, preferring the savannah zone.

Indian elephants live in the northeast and south of India, Thailand, China and the island of Sri Lanka, and live in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia. Unlike their counterparts from the African continent, Indian elephants like to settle in wooded areas, preferring tropical bamboo thickets and dense bushes.

For approximately 16 hours a day, elephants are busy absorbing food, and they eat about 300 kg of vegetation with appetite. The elephant eats grass (including cattail, papyrus in Africa), rhizomes, bark and leaves of trees (for example, ficus in India), fruits of wild bananas, apples, marula and even coffee. The elephant's diet depends on its habitat, as different trees and grasses grow in Africa and India. These animals do not bypass agricultural plantations, causing significant damage to crops of corn, sweet potatoes and other crops with their visits. Their tusks and trunk help them get food, and their molars help them chew. An elephant's teeth change as they are worn down.

At the zoo, elephants are fed hay and greens (in large quantities), and the animals are also given vegetables, fruits, root vegetables: cabbage, apples, pears, carrots, beets, watermelons, boiled potatoes, oats, bran, willow branches, bread, as well as their favorite Elephants treat bananas and other crops. In a day in the wild, an elephant eats about 250-300 kg of food. In captivity, elephant food intake is as follows: about 10 kg of vegetables, 30 kg of hay and 10 kg of bread.

Adults are known “water-suckers.” An elephant drinks about 100-300 liters of water per day, so these animals are almost always located near bodies of water.

Elephant breeding

Elephants form family herds (9-12 individuals), including a mature leader, her sisters, daughters and immature males. The female elephant is a hierarchical link in the family; she matures by the age of 12, and at the age of 16 she is ready to bear offspring. Sexually mature males leave the herd at the age of 15-20 years (African males at 25 years old) and become loners. Every year, males fall into an aggressive state caused by an increase in testosterone, which lasts about 2 months, so quite serious clashes between clans, ending in injuries and mutilations, are not uncommon. True, this fact has its own plus: competition with experienced brothers stops young male elephants from early mating.

Elephants reproduce regardless of the season. A male elephant approaches the herd when he feels the female is ready to mate. Loyal to each other in normal times, the males organize mating fights, as a result of which the winner is allowed to the female. An elephant's pregnancy lasts 20-22 months. The birth of an elephant takes place in a society created by the females of the herd, surrounding and protecting the woman in labor from random danger.

Usually one baby elephant weighing about a hundredweight is born, sometimes there are twins. After just 2 hours, the newborn elephant stands on its feet and happily sucks its mother’s milk. After a few days, the cub easily travels with its relatives, grabbing its mother’s tail with its trunk. Feeding with milk lasts up to 1.5-2 years, and all lactating females participate in the process. By 6-7 months, plant foods are added to the milk.

Why are elephants afraid of mice?

Many people know about the subconscious fear that giant elephants allegedly have for small representatives of the rodent family - mice. But not everyone knows that this fact is most likely a myth. There is a legend according to which in ancient times there were so many mice that they dared to attack elephants’ legs, gnawed the animals’ limbs almost to the bone and built their own minks there. That is why, since then, elephants began to sleep not lying down, but standing up. There is little logic in this, because many animals sleep standing up, for example, horses, which are not at all afraid of mice. But to assume that a rodent can climb into a lying elephant’s trunk and block its access to air, which would lead to the death of the elephant, is much more likely, especially since several such cases have been recorded.

There is another theory, a little funny, but still: mice, climbing on an elephant, strongly tickle the giant with their tenacious paws, which makes the elephant feel a constant need to itch, and it is quite difficult for him to do this. However, all such assumptions were debunked by scientists: they were convinced that elephants are absolutely indifferent to mice, peacefully coexist with them in zoo enclosures, allowing the tiny rodents to feast on the remains of their meals, and are not at all afraid of them.

Why does an elephant have a long nose?

The trunk is the elephant's most striking feature. Reaching a length of about 1.5 meters and weighing 130-150 kg, this part of the body is simply necessary for the animal, just like the hands, nose or tongue for a person.

The ancestors of elephants, who lived in the swamps in the distant past, had a very small trunk-appendage: it allowed them to breathe under the water column.

Millions of years of evolution forced the ancient predecessor of the elephant to emerge from the swampy area and enormously increased the animal’s size, as a result of which the elephant’s trunk also had to adapt to new conditions of existence.

With its trunk, the elephant lifts and carries weights, picks juicy bananas from palm trees and puts them in his mouth, as if he were collecting water from a lake or river with sediment and arranges a shower for himself during the scorching heat, makes loud trumpeting sounds, catches odors, helps himself drink by pouring water into mouth.

Surprisingly, being able to use a trunk as a multifunctional tool is a rather complex science, which little elephants do not master right away: often babies even step on their trunk, so caring mother elephants patiently, over several months, teach their children the art of using this necessary “appendage” .

• Among the elephants there are right-handers and left-handers, which affects the greater use of one of the tusks.
• The special structure of the hearing aid allows elephants to communicate with each other at low frequencies covering vast distances.
• The elephant is an animal that does not sweat because it does not have sebaceous glands. Water procedures, mud baths and ear fanning help lower body temperature.
• Elephants are easily tamed and trainable. In ancient times, they were excellent labor and fighting animals. Nowadays, elephants are used as means of transportation in impassable places.
• Adult elephants are practically invulnerable; lions and crocodiles pose a danger to baby elephants. The only enemy of elephants is man, who mercilessly exterminates animals for meat, skin and bones. Barbarian hunting led to a sharp decline in the elephant population, the impossibility of seasonal migrations and limited the habitat to nature reserves and national parks.
• Domesticated elephants are quite good-natured and patient with the mistreatment of careless owners. A tendency to emotional experiences and prolonged stress can lead to a nervous breakdown, when the elephant goes berserk and destroys everything in its reach.
• Elephants are among the most intelligent mammals on the planet. An excellent memory allows them to remember grievances caused by people and the places of important events. Emotional animals are capable of joy, sadness, suffering and empathy for their loved ones.

The largest elephant in the world The elephant is considered the largest animal living on earth - it boasts an excellent memory and can distinguish simple songs. In general, it lends itself well to training. Did you know that there is an elephant that can paint an entire picture using its own trunk?

What is the biggest elephant? A massive body, huge ears, a long trunk and a pair of tusks, although the latter are not common to everyone. These colossi chose Africa and India as their residence. Elephants often take mud showers - this is how they escape from annoying insects. The mud, when dried, forms a crust, which, like a shell, protects its thick skin. It is officially recorded that the largest elephant weighs 12,000 kg. Usually their weight does not exceed eight thousand kilograms.

There is a great demand for tusks in the jewelry industry - they are used to make original jewelry that is very popular. Poachers during the hunt are not stopped by the fact that elephants are included in the Red Book. In India, elephants are used to facilitate labor - elephants make good vehicles, especially in difficult places. This type of treatment of animals is not practiced on the African peninsula.

Elephants' diet consists of plants; they can chew tree bark. They prefer to eat carrots; they are unlikely to resist an apple. Elephants have a terrible sweet tooth, and are able to stand for as long as they like near the fence of the enclosure in the hope that they will be treated to a sweet delicacy. FROM a large amount of sweets, animals not only get fat, but also become dependent on sweets.

Asian elephants

There are three known species of elephants living in Azi - Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumatran. Of the Sri Lankan individuals, the most prominent is the elephant, 3.5 m high and weighing 5.5 tons. He lives on the island after which he is named. The Indian elephant is not uncommon; it can be found in any Asian country. Weighs no more than 5 tons. The smallest Sumatran is 2.5 m tall and weighs three tons.

African elephant

These are the largest animals on the planet. In nature, there are two types of African elephants - savannah and forest. The first of them can weigh up to eight tons and grow up to four meters, the latter are inferior to them in their parameters - no more than five tons and three meters in height. These are very friendly animals; fights and quarrels rarely occur between relatives. Usually they live in one large herd, take care of the cubs, and do not abandon the sick in trouble. During mating, due to increased testosterone levels, elephants can show aggression, and only during this period can one elephant injure another representative of its genus. Relations with females are tender - having looked after a couple, the elephants move a short distance from the herd and there, far from prying eyes, they indulge in mutual caresses.

Until the baby elephants are five years old, they are under the tireless attention of their mother; upon reaching 15 years old, the elephant becomes an adult. In the savannah, young elephants are in danger - lions. One of the largest elephants is capable of eating 100 kg of grass - often these good-natured creatures cause the death of bushes and trees. Due to the destruction of green spaces, shooting of these large animals was allowed. The average life age of an African giant is 60-70 years. Unlike their Indian relatives, African dogs are much less amenable to training.

Yossi the Elephant

The largest elephant in the world lives in the Safari Zoo, located in Israel. He has reached a very respectable age - he is 32 years old, but continues to grow and can hardly squeeze through the gate leading to the yard - in order to overcome it, the elephant has to crouch - this is the only way he can go for a walk. Experts believe that this kind of exercise only benefits the animal. An elephant named Yossi became the tallest elephant ever to live in captivity. Now his height is 3.7 m. His weight is 6 tons, the elephant’s tail is 1 meter, the trunk is 2.5 meters, ears = 1.2 meters. According to assumptions, the reasons for growth lie in genes. An important factor is nutritious food.

Since ancient times, people have learned to use elephants for heavy work - transporting heavy loads and people. They repeatedly took part in bloody battles. But you should not put an unbearable burden on an elephant - an elephant is not omnipotent and is not capable of lifting a load that is more than a quarter of its weight.

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 language 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 in 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 is this: the 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 have high levels of 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.

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 take 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 that 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 largest elephant on the planet will not be able to withstand and carry a load that is more than a quarter of its body weight. Among the interesting facts about these creatures is that although they have incredibly powerful legs, they 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 more water in just one day.

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.