The elephant, a majestic and sociable animal, lives in herds. It is renowned for its memory and intelligence.
The African elephant can weigh up to 7 tonnes, making it the largest land animal in the world today.
To date, two categories have been identifyed : African elephants and Asian elephants. There are significant morphological difference between Asian and African elephants. Asian elephants are generaly smaller at 4 to 5 metres. Their ears are shorter and they have a little hump on their back. Their tusks are also smaller and it is not uncommon for females to have none. African elephants fall into two categories : savannah elephants and forest elephants. The savannah elephant is larger, measuring up to 7 metres in lengh and weighing up to 7 tonnes. In the wild, it lives for at least 50 years. It dies when its last teeth fall out and it can no longer chew its food. Forest elephants are no more than 2. 50 metres long and live in jungles and equatorial forests, where they hide. These elephants have pinkih ivory, which makes them highly coveted by poachers. These animals live a very long life, mainly because they have no predators. In their natural habitat, they can live for an average of 40 to 60 years, and even in a few isolated cases in Kenya, some have lived up to 90 years. However, their life expectancy in captivity can be halve. Humans are the main factor reducing the animal ' s life, and heath is the second factor, with teeth beginning to wear down, arthritis and vascular problems linked to their size and weight. Elephants are herbivores. They eat a wide variety of plants : grasses, plants, leaves, fruit, roots, bark and even wood. They are particularly fond of the soft, sap-laden wood of the baobab tree. It consomes between 90 and 270 kg of food a day. Elephants need around 130 litres a day to stay hydrate. They use their noses and feet to dig deep holes in the riverbed. They also have a higly developed sense of smell, which enables them to detect springs almost 20 km away. |
