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LIFE IN THE WILD
ELEPHANT FACTS
ELEPHANTS HAVE BIG
APPETITES
They love to eat many kinds of
plants from grass and fruit to
leaves and bark. they spend up to
16 hours eating a day. They eat
about 220 to 440 pounds (100-200
kg) They use their trunk to reach
leaves and fruit from high
branches and rip bark with their
tusks
MALE ELEPHANTS RARELY GET INTO
REAL FIGHTS
Male elephants scuffle with one
another to prove who is the boss, but
they rarely hurt one another. They flap
their ears to make themselves look
bigger, curl and uncurl their truck, and
shake their head around. When it
becomes obvious which elephant is
likely to win a real fight, the other one
backs down and allows itself to be
chased away.
Male African Elephants weigh up
to 15,000 lbs (6,800kg)
Female African Elephants weigh
up to 8,000 lbs (3,600 kg)
FEMALE ELEPHANTS ACT AS
BABYSITTERS FOR OTHER
MOTHERS CALVES
Female elephants live in
family groups and help care
for each other’s babies. Aunts
will help their sisters calves
if they get stuck in the mud,
swat them with their tails,
shade them from the hot sun,
and protect them from
danger.
Young Elephants Play Games
Games help young elephants get to know
others in the herd. They also help them
develop strength and fighting skills that will
be useful later in life. Male elephants push
and shove one another, and females play
chasing games. Mothers and aunts will break
up “fights” if the play becomes too rough.
Family Members Welcome New
Arrivals
The other female elephants in the herd
stay with the mother while she’s giving
birth. They become very excited rumbling and screaming - and show a
lot of interest in the new baby. A
newborn calf weighs between 165 and
242 pounds (75 and 110 kg), which is a
similar weight for an adult male human.
EYESIGHT
Research has shown that
elephants are color-blind
compared to humans. In
daylight, elephants are
dichromic; meaning they
have two kinds of colour
sensors in their retina: one
type of cone for reds and
another for green
Elephants Comfort and Grieve
For Family Members
Elephants form strong bonds
with the members of their herd.
They will stay with a sick relative
for many days. When the relative
dies, members of the herd gather
around the body. They cover it
with twigs and leaves, and stand
nearby, quietly touching and
mourning their loved one.
SOME UNUSUAL FACTS ON ELEPHANTS
•
African elephants avoid eating a type of acacia tree that is home to ants because
they don’t want the ants to get inside their trunks, which are full of sensitive nerve
endings.
•
Elephants sleep standing up
•
The elephant’s trunk is able to sense the size, shape, and temperature of an object.
•
Elephants have been known to induce labour by self-medicating with certain
plants.
•
Bull elephants court females by using rituals involving various affectionate
gestures and nuzzles.
•
An elephant herd is considered one of the most closely knit societies of any animal,
and a female will only leave it if she dies or is captured by humans.
•
Elephants communicate within their herds or between herds many kilometres
away by stamping their feet and making sounds too low for human ears to perceive.
•
The elephant’s closest living relative is the rock hyrax, a small furry mammal that
lives in rocky landscapes across sub-Saharan Africa
ELEPHANT EMOTIONS
Elephants are capable of
a range of emotions,
including joy,
playfulness, grief and
mourning. They are able
to learn new facts and
behaviours, mimic
sounds that they hear,
self-medicate, and
display compassion and
self-awareness!
ELEPHANTS ARE THE ONLY ANIMAL WHICH
SURPASSES ALL OTHERS IN WIT AND MIND
ARISTOTLE
QUESTIONS ON SLIDE PRESENTATION
• HOW MANY HOURS A DAY DO ELEPHANTS SPEND EATING? WHAT KINDS OF
FOOD DO THEY EAT?
• DO MALE ELEPHANTS REALLY FIGHT? HOW DO THEY ACT TO PROVE THEY
ARE THE STRONGEST?
• WHAT TYPE OF GAMES DO FEMALE ELEPHANTS PLAY? WHAT KIND TO
MALE ELEPHANTS PLAY?
• HOW MUCH DOES A NEW BORN CALF WEIGH? DO OTHER FEMALES HELP
WITH THE NEWBORN CALF?
• ARE ELEPHANTS COLOR-BLIND?
• HOW DO ELEPHANTS COMMUNICATE?
• NAME SOME OF THE EMOTIONS ELEPHANTS ARE CAPABLE OF SHOWING
• WHAT DO THEY DO WHEN A MEMBER OF THE HERD DIES?
• WHAT CAN AN ELEPHANTS TRUNK SENSE?
• WHY DO THEY AVOID EATING A CERTAIN KIND OF ACACIA TREE?