Jul 15, 2024
There are three species of elephant: the African Savannah elephant, the African Forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. Elephants are known for their large ears, ivory tusks, and trunks.
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Elephants hold the title of the world’s largest land animals! Male African elephants can stand up to 3m tall and weigh between 4,000 to 7,500kg. Asian elephants are slightly smaller, reaching heights of 2.7m and weights ranging from 3,000 to 6,000kg.
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Distinguishing African elephants from Asian ones is easy—just look at their ears! African elephants have large ears shaped like Africa, while Asian elephants have smaller ears resembling the outline of India. Pretty cool, right?
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Recent research has revealed that African Forest elephants are a distinct species, not just a subspecies of African elephants. Found in the Congo Basin's tropical forests, they feature straighter tusks and rounder ears compared to Savannah elephants.
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Elephant tusks, which never stop growing, reveal much about them. Enormous tusks often signify old age. Both male and female African elephants grow tusks, but only male Asian elephants do. A tusk-less adult likely is a female Asian elephant.
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Elephants dedicate 12 to 18 hours daily to consuming grass, plants, and fruits! Using their long trunks, they sniff out and lift food into their mouths—a delightful routine!
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Elephants' hefty appetites lead to significant output—about one tonne of dung per week! This waste fertilises soil and aids in seed dispersal. Their activities, including digging waterholes and forming paths, reshape landscapes profoundly!
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In Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya, a group of elephants utilises tusks to mine salt in caves. Guided by their trunks, they break off salts with their tusks for consumption—a remarkable display of ingenuity!
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Post-river or swamp baths, elephants cleverly shield themselves from the scorching sun by tossing mud and sand over their bodies.
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Elephants face severe threats from ivory poaching and human-wildlife conflicts. Asian elephants, fewer in number than African counterparts, are exploited in tourist attractions for rides and trunk-painting displays, endangering their populations further.
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