The elephant is the largest terrestrial mammal on Earth. These giants from early childhood evoke positive emotions in us. Most people believe that elephants are smart and calm. And in many cultures, the elephant is a symbol of happiness, peace and comfort.
Types of Elephants
Today on the planet there are three types of elephants, which belong to two genera.
African elephants are divided into two types:
- the savannah elephant is a huge animal with a dark color, well-developed tusks and two small processes located at the end of the trunk. Representatives of this species live along the equator on the territory of the African continent;
- forest elephant is characterized by relatively small growth (up to 2.5 m) and a rounded shape of the ears. This species lives in the tropical forests of Africa. These species, by the way, often interbreed and produce viable offspring.
The Indian elephant is much smaller than the African one, but has a more powerful physique and disproportionately short legs. The color can be from dark gray to brown. These animals are distinguished by small ears of a quadrangular shape and one process at the very end of the trunk. The Indian elephant is an animal distributed in the subtropical and tropical forests of China and India, Laos and Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Elephant description
Depending on the species, the growth of an elephant at the withers ranges from 2 to 4 meters. The weight of an elephant varies from 3 to 7 tons. African elephants (especially savannahs) sometimes weigh up to 12 tons. The powerful body of this giant is covered with thick skin (thickness up to 2.5 cm) of gray or brown color with deep wrinkles. Elephant cubs are born with sparse coarse bristles, and adult individuals have almost no vegetation.
The head of an elephant is large with large hanging ears, which have a fairly large inner surface. At the base they are very thick, and closer to the edges they are thin. Elephant ears are a regulator of heat exchange. Fanging them, the animal provides cooling of its own body.
An elephant is an animal with a rather specific voice. The sounds that an adult makes are called boars, mooing, whispering and roaring. The life expectancy of an elephant in nature is about 70 years. In captivity, this period may be extended by five to seven years.
Trunk
An elephant is an animal that has a unique organ. The trunk reaches a length of about one and a half meters and its weight is about one hundred and fifty kilograms. This organ is formed by the nose and fused upper lip. Over 100 thousand muscles and tendons make it flexible and strong.
The ancestors of the elephants that inhabited the Earth in the distant past lived in swamps. They had a very small sprout trunk, which allowed the animal to breathe under water during the extraction of food. Over millions of years of evolution, elephants left marshy areas, significantly increased in size, respectively, the trunk of an elephant adapted to new conditions.
With a trunk, the animal carries heavy loads, plucks juicy bananas from palm trees and sends them into its mouth, draws water from ponds and arranges a refreshing shower during the heat, makes loud trumpet sounds, smells.
Surprisingly, the trunk of an elephant is a multifunctional tool that is difficult for small elephants to learn how to use, often cubs even step on their proboscis. Mom elephants very patiently, for several months, teach their cubs the art of using this much-needed "process".
Legs
An amazing fact, but the elephant's legs have two patella. Such an unusual structure made this giant the only mammal that could not jump. In the very center of the foot is a fat pad that springs up at every step. Thanks to her, this powerful animal can move almost silently.
Tail
The tail of an elephant is about the same length as the hind legs. At the very tip of the tail is a bundle of coarse hair. With the help of such a brush, an elephant drives away insects.
Distribution and lifestyle
African elephants have mastered almost the entire territory of Africa: Senegal and Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya, the Republic of Congo and Guinea, South Africa and Sudan. They feel great in Somalia and Zambia. The bulk of the live in national reserves: in this way, African governments protect these animals from poachers.
An elephant can live in territories with any landscape, but it tries to avoid zones of deserts and dense tropical forests, preferring the savannah to them.
Indian elephants mainly live in the south and northeast of India, in China, Thailand, on the island of Sri Lanka. Animals are found in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia. Unlike their African counterparts, they prefer woodland, choosing dense shrubs and bamboo thickets.
Elephants live in herds in which all individuals are connected by family ties. These animals can greet each other, very touchingly care for their offspring and never leave their group.
Another amazing feature of these huge animals is that they can laugh. An elephant is an animal that, despite its size, is a good swimmer. Moreover, elephants are very fond of water procedures. On land they travel at an average speed (up to six kilometers per hour). When running for short distances, this figure increases to fifty kilometers per hour.
