What kinds of elephants are there? Asian elephants: description, features, lifestyle, nutrition and interesting facts. How many species of elephants are there in the world?

Of the terrestrial animals of our planet. Currently, the detachment includes 2 species: African and Indian elephants. The rest died out not so long ago by biological standards: mammoths - in glacial period, and mastodons shortly before the appearance of the first people in America.

African elephant (lat. Loxodonta) slightly larger than its Indian counterpart, reaches a height of 4 meters, weighs about 7 tons and also differs from it in the more impressive size of its ears. These elephants live in the steppe regions of the mainland and in Egypt. Both females and males African elephants have a formidable weapon - powerful tusks.

photo: Leon Molenaar

Distribution range of Indian elephants (lat Elephas maximus) - the jungles of India, Ceylon, Indochina and Burma. These animals reach three meters in height and five tons in weight. The species lacks tusks and has significantly smaller ears than its African cousins. At the end of their trunk, Indian elephants have a finger-like appendage that they use to pick up and carry small objects. In contrast, African relatives have two similar fingers. Indian elephants are much more peaceful than African ones and are better trained, making friendly contact with humans, so they are often used as labor. At logging sites, elephants transport cut trees, lay planks on barges, and remove logs from the water.

photo: Manoj Kumar Sahoo

The elephant is an amazing animal, which differs from all others not only in size, but also in body structure and habits. On occasion, the elephant happily gives himself a shower. A powerful trunk serves as a hose and pump for water procedures. This multifunctional organ is a modified nose fused with the upper lip of the animal. The elephant needs it to breathe and smell, drink and make trumpet sounds. With their trunk, which contains about 100 thousand muscles, elephants grab various items weighing up to a ton, carrying them over impressive distances.

photo: World Land Trust

Unlike ancient ancestors, modern elephants have only one pair of tusks, a third of which are hidden inside the animal’s body. They grow throughout the life of the elephant, along with it, and their size indicates a certain age of the animal. Elephants have no lower incisors. Ivory is of great value as an expensive ornamental material, so unfortunate animals often become the target of human hunting. Despite the legal ban on the ivory trade, poaching cannot be completely eradicated and hundreds of steppe giants still die annually at the hands of humans.

photo: Terry Carew

Elephants usually live in large herds of 15 to 50 or more individuals, where everyone is connected family relations. It is very rare to find animals that have strayed from the herd and live independently. As a rule, they are aggressive and dangerous. In the herd, friendly relations have been established between relatives, the animals greet each other, take care of the babies, remaining faithful to the herd. Elephants are part of the four, they are able to show emotions, grieving the loss of one of their brothers, they know how to rejoice at each other and even laugh. Elephants have an excellent memory, remembering people, events and places in which they find themselves.

Most These giants spend their days on the road in search of food, which they absorb almost continuously, 16 hours a day, eating more than 130 kg. Their food is the bark, foliage, roots and fruits of plants. Elephants drink about 200 liters of liquid per day; whenever possible, they spend the night near bodies of water. Despite their massive size, elephants are excellent swimmers, capable of traveling tens of kilometers through the water without stopping. There are cases when elephants swam more than 60 km without rest.

Elephants have a powerful skeleton, which makes up 15% of the animal's weight. Their skin reaches 2.5 cm in thickness and is covered with sparse hairs. Elephants, like humans, live on average about 70 years. They are the only representatives of terrestrial fauna that cannot jump. Despite their apparent clumsiness, these giants easily move across the plain, covering vast distances, and when running they reach speeds of up to 30 km/h. Elephants spend only 4 hours a day sleeping. Photo: Marcel van Oosten

Elephants have very expressive language gestures If an elephant spreads its ears, it means that it is dissatisfied and is capable of showing aggression. In case of danger, the animal uses its tusks, trunk and powerful legs. An elephant can trample an enemy or throw him away, grabbing him with his trunk. When frightened, it makes a prolonged screeching sound, which is also a sign of danger, because in panic, this giant sweeps away everything in its path.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

A lot is known about elephants, but there are even more secrets associated with their lives.

This amazing creatures. They look massive, but are tender and sentimental. They can experience joy and sorrow. This is unusual given their enormous size.

Elephants are one of the largest animals on our planet. The height reaches four meters, and the body weight is twelve tons. Color depends on the habitat. It can be gray, smoky, white or pink.

The body is covered with thick, tough skin with deep folds. The layer reaches three centimeters. But this does not apply to all parts of the body. On the cheeks, behind the ears, and around the mouth, the skin is thin, up to two millimeters thick. On the trunk and legs it is also sensitive and tender.

Note! The skin is the largest sensory organ that performs a protective function. It is part of excretory system, controls body temperature.

An amazing organ on the body is the trunk, which appeared as a result of the fusion and elongation of the nose with the upper lip. It consists of many small muscles, there is little fatty tissue, and no bones. This part of the body is a means of defense. The trunk is used to breathe and also performs the functions of the mouth and hand. Using it, the animal lifts large objects and small things. At the end of the trunk there is a sensitive outgrowth, with the help of which the animal manipulates small objects and touches.

Note! The trunk plays in the life of an elephant important role. It is necessary for communication, obtaining food, and protection.

Another feature of giants is their tusks. These are modified incisors of the upper jaw, growing throughout the life of the animal. They serve as an indicator of age. The longer and larger the tusk, the older the elephant. In adults, it reaches 2.5 m in length and weighs 90 kg. Used for obtaining food, serves as a weapon, and protects the trunk. Incisors are a precious material from which luxury items are made.

The elephant also has molars. There are four to six of them in total, located on both jaws. As old teeth wear down, they are replaced by new ones that grow inside the jaw and move forward over time. Teeth change several times throughout life. With their help, elephants grind very tough plant foods.

Note! When the last teeth are worn out, the single animal dies. He no longer has anything to chew or grind food with. An elephant that is in a herd is helped by its relatives.

Separately, it is worth noting the ears. Although giants have rather fine hearing, the main purpose of the ears is to cool the body. With them inside numerous blood vessels are located. During the strokes, the blood cools. It, in turn, spreads coolness throughout the body. Therefore, individuals do not die from overheating.

Elephants have muscular and strong legs. Under the skin, on the sole of the foot, there is a gelatinous, springy mass that increases the area of ​​support. With its help, animals move almost silently.

The tail is almost the same length as the paws. The tip is covered with hard hairs that help repel annoying insects.

Animals swim well. They like to splash in the water, jump, and frolic. They can stay in it for a long time without touching the bottom with their feet.

Where do elephants live? Types, differences between them

There are two types: Asian, also known as Indian, and African. There are no Australian elephants. The Asian range is almost the entire territory of South Asia:

• China;
• Thailand;
• south and northeast India;
• Laos;
• Vietnam;
• Malaysia;
• island of Sri Lanka.

Animals love to settle in the tropics and subtropics, where there are dense bushes and bamboo thickets. In the cold season, they are forced to look for food in the steppes.

African giants prefer savannah and dense rainforests central and West Africa, live in the territory:

• Senegal;
• Namibia;
• Zimbabwe;
• Kenya;
• Republic of the Congo;
• Guinea;
• Sudan;
• Somalia;
• Zambia.

Most are forced to live in reserves and national parks, besides, they prefer to avoid deserts, where there is practically no vegetation or bodies of water. Elephants living in the wild often become prey for poachers.

Despite the great similarities, there are a number of differences:

• African elephants are much larger and taller than their Asian counterparts.
• All African females have tusks; Asian females do not.
• Indian elephants have a rear part of their body that is higher than the level of their head.
• Africans have a larger ear span than Asians.
• African trunks are thinner than those of their Indian relatives.
• It is almost impossible to tame an African animal, but the Indian elephant is easy to train and domesticate.

Note! When crossing these two species, it will not be possible to obtain offspring. This also speaks about their differences at the genetic level.

Number of elephants living in wildlife, is rapidly decreasing. They need protection and are listed in the Red Book.

What do elephants eat in their natural habitat and in captivity?

Elephants are herbivores, feeding exclusively plant foods. To maintain body weight, they need to consume vegetation in large quantities(up to 300 kg per day). For most of the day, animals are busy absorbing food. The diet depends entirely on location and season (rainy or dry).

IN natural environment In their habitat, elephants eat leaves and bark of trees, rhizomes, wild fruits, and herbs. They love the salt they dig out of the ground. They do not bypass the plantations, where they enjoy feasting on agricultural crops.

In zoos and circuses, these giants are fed mainly with hay, which the animals eat in large quantities. The diet includes fruits, root vegetables, vegetables, and tree branches. They prefer flour products, cereals, and salt.

All individuals, regardless of species and location, love water and always try to stay close to bodies of water.

Reproduction of elephants. How many years do they live?

In nature, females and males live separately. When a female elephant is ready to mate, she releases pheromones and makes loud noises to call for males. It matures by the age of 12, and from the age of 16 it is ready to bear offspring. Males mature a little later and secrete a substance containing certain chemical substances urine, letting females know that they are ready to mate. Males also make deafening sounds and temperamentally pursue females by organizing mating fights. When both elephants are ready to mate, they leave the herd for a while.

Depending on the species, pregnancy lasts from eighteen to twenty-two months. The birth of offspring occurs surrounded by a group that protects the female from possible dangers. Usually one cub is born, very rarely two. A few hours later, the baby elephant is already on its feet and sucking its mother’s milk. He quickly adapts and after a short period of time he is already calmly traveling with a group of elephants, grabbing onto his mother’s tail for good measure.

Average duration The life of animals depends on the species:

• savanna and forest elephants live up to seventy years;
• The maximum lifespan of Indian elephants is 48 years.

A factor influencing life expectancy is the presence of teeth. As soon as the last incisors are worn away, the animal faces death from exhaustion.

Dangers:

• cubs are easy prey for predators;
• insufficient water and food;
• animals can become victims of poachers.

Elephants living in the wild live longer than their domesticated relatives. Due to improper conditions, the giants begin to get sick, which often leads to death.

Note! The average lifespan of an animal in captivity is three times shorter than that of its relatives living in the natural environment.

Enemies in nature

Elephants have no enemies among animals; they are practically invulnerable. Even lions are careful not to attack a healthy individual. Potential victims for wild animals are young animals, who are protected by adults in times of danger. They create a protective ring from their bodies, with babies in the middle. Sick elephants that stray from the herd can also be attacked by predators.

The main enemy is a man with a gun. But if an animal senses danger, it can even kill it. Despite its bulk, the giant reaches speeds of up to 40 km/h. And if he decides to attack, then the opponent has practically no chance to survive.

Elephants are smart mammals. They have excellent memory. Domesticated individuals are good-natured and patient. These animals are often found on state emblems. In some countries, killing them is punishable by the death penalty. In Thailand, this is a sacred animal and is treated with respect.

Elephants are the most large mammals, living on land. The largest animals live in Africa. Their weight can reach 12 tons, their height is more than three meters, and their body length is more than 7 meters.

One of the main features of an elephant is long trunk, which is a fused upper lip with the nose. The trunk is a universal organ that allows the elephant to obtain food, collect water for drinking and bathing, lift and carry various objects, and also helps to capture odors.

Another feature of elephants is big ears. Elephants' ears perform a thermoregulatory function. They are penetrated by a dense network of blood vessels, and when the blood passes through these vessels, it cools, and then returns to other organs and cools them. Elephants have very good hearing, they are even able to distinguish some melodies.

Spreading

Elephants live on the African continent in savannas, as well as in the southeastern part of Asia, preferring tropical rainforests.

Nutrition

Elephants are herbivores. They feed on leaves, grass, various fruits and tree bark. In a day, an adult elephant eats up to 300 kg of grass and leaves and drinks about 300 liters of water.

In captivity, the diet of elephants is more varied. They readily eat fruits, vegetables and root vegetables, enjoy bread and cookies, and are very fond of candy. However, an excess of sweets is harmful for elephants - they gain excess weight and become inactive.

Lifestyle

Elephants live in groups because they are social animals. The group usually consists of an experienced adult female, who is the head of the group, several younger females and their cubs. Male elephants live in their own separate herds, and only sometimes do they join a group of females.

A female usually gives birth to one calf. Its weight can range from 60 to almost 100 kg. The baby elephant remains next to its mother for about five years, all this time it feeds on her milk and only at the age of five it switches to the usual food for elephants. Throughout her life, a female elephant gives birth to 5 to 12 calves. One elephant can be followed by two baby elephants of different ages at once.

Elephants usually move slowly, but if necessary they can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h. Elephants are good swimmers and can swim quite long distances. They love water very much and often give themselves a shower, dousing themselves with their trunk.

Elephants are very talkative - they can roar, trumpet and even squeal. These animals are capable of making sounds so powerful that they can be heard at a distance of about 10 km.

IN good conditions elephants can live up to 60 years.

Elephants cannot jump.

Brief information about the elephant.

Gigantism occurs among animals as a natural process of evolution. Currently, elephants are the largest mammals on the planet. And they are remarkable not only for this. The main amazing trump card of elephants is their trunk, which serves as a hand, a mouth, a nose, and a means of defense.

The elephant's trunk is such a universal and unique organ that the animal can use it to lift a heavy log or grab a small match.

The largest of the African elephants, its weight reaches 7.5 tons and its height is 4 meters. Its Indian relative is a third smaller.

To maintain its existence, an adult must eat 200 kg of green mass per day and drink up to 200 liters of water.

Interestingly, like people, elephants can be right-handed or left-handed. Right-handed people use the right tusk more often, which causes it to wear out more and become shorter over time.

Probably the most known fact about the pregnancy of elephants, which lasts almost 2 years, or rather 22 months. Elephants have strong and friendly families, often consisting of several generations, mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers. Female elephants take care of their cub for 10 - 15 years, and also take part in raising sisters, brothers, and nephews.

Elephants are among the ten most intelligent animals on earth. They have a rich “speech”, excellent memory and vigorous emotional sphere.

African elephants actually sleep standing up, while Indian elephants lie down on the ground at night.

The lifespan of elephants is similar to that of humans - 80 years. However, this species of fauna is under threat of extinction. Provide for elephants environmentally clean environment habitat is the task of prudent humanity.

Background Information on Elephants

Elephants are a family of mammals of the once numerous proboscis order; the grasping trunk was formed as a result of the fusion of the nose and upper lip; upper incisors (tusks) up to 3 m long and 4 molars, replaced with new ones as they are ground down; 2 types: African - height at withers 3-4 m, weight up to 7.5 tons and Indian - height at withers up to 3 m, weight up to 5 tons; The mammoth is an extinct species.

The animal lives throughout Africa, except deserts. Lives about 70 years. It feeds on grass, tree bark, shoots and leaves, roots and fruits. Eating takes up to 16 hours a day. During this time, adults eat up to 400 kg of food. If there is not enough salt in the elephants' food, they look for licks - places where salt appears on the surface of the earth. Animals drink a lot of water: approximately 230 liters per day - almost two baths.

Adult males weigh more than five tons. Maximum height to the shoulder in males - 4 m, and length without trunk and tail - 7 m. Females are slightly smaller.

The natural color of an elephant's skin is grayish-black, but changes color after mud baths. Its layers can exceed three centimeters. The beast has thick bones and strong muscular legs. The pads on the soles allow the elephant to walk as if on tiptoe. Maximum speed animal - 24 km/h. The trunk has about 40,000 muscles and is used by the elephant to for various purposes. Long tusks are teeth that continue to grow throughout life. The longest tusks measure almost 3.5 m. The elephant needs them to dig up roots. The animal uses one of the tusks more than the other. Elephants good vision, but the animal relies more on smell, touch and hearing. Long eyelashes– not for beauty, they are a protective barrier against dust for the eyes. African elephants have excellent hearing. But they also use their large ears as fans. Elephants have the largest brains among animals.

Elephants are good swimmers: they can stay in the water without touching the bottom for up to six hours.

Animals make loud sounds that can be heard at a distance of 10 km.

Elephants live in herds and take care of each other. The herd spends a lot of time grazing. During a lion attack, all members of the group come to the victim's defense. Elephants carry their babies for 22 months. During childbirth, all the females of the herd are near the woman in labor. They help her, and then joyfully trumpet and shout, announcing the birth of a new member of the family. The newborn is quite large: its height is 90 cm, and its weight varies from 77 to 113 kg. In the first month, the baby elephant learns to drink and walk with the herd. He needs more than 10 liters of milk per day. The baby elephant tries to stay close to his mother, who teaches and protects him. Babies are in danger from hyenas and lions. Soon the baby elephant begins to learn to use its trunk. To do this, you need to train a lot: he lifts objects, greets his relatives, learns to get food and water. Until the age of 2, baby elephants drink their mother’s milk, but little by little they try plants. To make it easier to digest the bark and twigs, they eat the feces of adults. At two years old, babies develop small tusks. Elephants gain full independence at six years of age. At the age of ten, young males leave their native herd and join other males. Females live with their family all their lives. By the age of 18 they become mothers. Males mature to reproduce two years later. After mating, they protect their mate from rivals.

The number of African elephants in the wild is rapidly declining. As of 2005, there were only 500,000 of them left.

Photos of elephants

The largest land mammal is rightfully the elephant.

Elephant - description and characteristics

The majestic animal has practically no enemies and does not attack anyone, being a herbivore. Today they can be found in the wild, in national parks and reserves, in circuses and zoos, and there are also domesticated individuals. A lot is known about them: how many years elephants live, what elephants eat, how long an elephant’s pregnancy lasts. And yet secrets remain.

This animal cannot be confused with any other, since hardly any of these sizes terrestrial mammals can boast. The height of this giant can reach up to 4.5 meters, and its weight can reach up to 7 tons. The largest is the African savannah giant. Indian counterparts are somewhat lighter: weight up to 5.5 tons for males and 4.5 tons for females. Forest elephants are considered the lightest - up to 3 tons. In nature, there are also dwarf varieties that do not reach 1 ton.

The elephant's skeleton is strong and allows it to withstand such an impressive weight. The body is massive and muscular.

The animal's head is large, with a protruding frontal area. Its decoration is its movable ears, which serve as a heat regulator and a means of communication between fellow tribesmen. When attacking a herd, the animals begin to actively move their ears, scaring off enemies.

The legs are also unique. Contrary to the popular belief that animals are noisy and clumsy, these giants walk almost silently. The feet have thick fat pads that soften the step. Distinctive feature is the ability to bend the knees, the animal has two kneecaps.

The animals have a small tail ending in a non-furry brush. Usually the cub holds on to it in order to keep up with the mother.

A distinctive feature is the elephant's trunk, the mass of which in an elephant can reach up to 200 kg. This organ is a fused nose and upper lip. Consisting of more than 100 thousand strong muscles and tendons, the elephant's trunk has incredible flexibility and strength. They use it to pick off vegetation and put it in their mouth. Also, the elephant's trunk is a weapon with which it defends itself and fights its opponent.

The giants also draw in water through their trunks, which they then put into their mouths or pour over. Elephants up to one year old have little control over their proboscis. For example, they cannot drink with it, but kneel down and drink with their mouth. But they hold tightly to their mother’s tail with their trunk from the first hours of their life.

Elephant vision and hearing

Relative to the size of the animal, the eyes are small, and sharp vision these giants are no different. But they have excellent hearing and are able to recognize sounds even at very low frequencies.

It is believed that animals hear thunder at a distance of up to 100 km and can accurately locate water located at a great distance by noise.

Leather

Body large mammal covered with thick gray or brown skin, mottled with many wrinkles and folds. Sparse hard bristles on it are observed only in cubs. In adults it is practically absent.

The color of the animal directly depends on its habitat, since elephants often sprinkle themselves with earth and clay to protect themselves from insects. Therefore, some representatives appear brown and even pink.

Among giants, albinos are very rare, but still found. Such animals are considered iconic in Siam. White elephants were taken specifically for royal families.

Jaws

The decoration of the giant is its tusks: the older the animal, the longer they are. But not everyone is the same size. The female Asian elephant, for example, is completely devoid of such decorations by nature, just like rare males. The tusks fit into the jaws and are considered incisors.

How many years an elephant lives can be determined by its teeth, which wear down over the years, but at the same time new ones appear, growing behind the old ones. It is known how many teeth an elephant has in its mouth. As a rule, 4 radicals.

It was the tusks of these giants that were very highly valued, which led to the brutal extermination of proboscideans. Now hunting is strictly prohibited: the animal is listed in the Red Book. And the places where the elephant lives are declared nature reserves.

Indian elephant and African elephant have external differences, we’ll talk about them in the sequel.

Types of elephants

Nowadays, there are only two species of proboscis: the African elephant and the Indian elephant (otherwise known as the Asian elephant). African ones, in turn, are divided into savannahs living along the equator (the most major representatives- up to 4.5 m in height and 7 tons of weight) and forest (its dwarf and swamp subspecies), which prefer to live in tropical forests.

Despite the undeniable similarity of these animals, they still have a number of differences.

• It is very simple to answer the question of which elephant is larger in size and weight: Indian or African. The one that lives in Africa: individuals weigh 1.5-2 tons more, and are much taller.
• The female Asian elephant does not have tusks; all African elephants have tusks.
• The species differ slightly in the shape of the body: the Asian ones have a higher rear part relative to the level of the head.
• African animal is different large size ears.
• The trunks of African giants are somewhat thinner.
• By its nature, the Indian elephant is more prone to domestication; it is almost impossible to tame its African counterpart.

It is Asian animals that are often accepted into circuses for their obedience and good disposition. Basically, these are sick and abandoned cubs rescued from poachers.

When crossing African and Indian proboscis, no offspring are obtained, which indicates differences at the genetic level.

The lifespan of an elephant depends on living conditions, the availability of sufficient food and water. It is believed that the African elephant lives somewhat longer than its counterpart.

Ancient relatives of proboscis appeared on earth approximately 65 million years ago, during the Paleocene era. At this time, dinosaurs still walked the planet.

Scientists have found that the first representatives lived on the territory of modern Egypt and were more like a tapir. There is another theory, according to which the current giants descended from a certain animal that lived in Africa and almost all of Eurasia.

Research revealing how long the elephant has lived on our planet points to the existence of its ancestors.

• Deinotherium. They appeared approximately 58 million years ago and died out 2.5 million years ago. Outwardly they were similar to modern animals, but were noted for their smaller size and shorter trunk.
• Gomphotherium. They appeared on earth approximately 37 million years ago and died out 10 thousand years ago. Their body resembled the current long-nosed giants, but they had 4 small tusks, twisted in pairs up and down, and a flat jaw. At some stage of development, the tusks of these animals became significantly larger.
• Mamutids (mastodons). Appeared 10-12 million years ago. They had dense hair on their body, long tusks and a trunk. They became extinct 18 thousand years ago, with the advent of primitive people.
• Mammoths. The first representatives of elephants. They appeared from mastodons approximately 1.6 million years ago. They became extinct about 10 thousand years ago. They were slightly taller than modern animals, their body was covered with long and dense hair, and they had large tusks hanging down.

Mammoths belong to the same order of elephants as modern giants.

The African elephant and the Indian elephant are the only representatives of the proboscis order existing on Earth.

Where do elephants live?

African elephant lives south of the desert Sahara, on the territory of many African countries: Congo, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan and others. The fairly hot climate of the places where the elephant lives is to his liking. More often they choose savannas, where there is enough vegetation and water can be found. Animals practically do not enter deserts and impenetrable tropical forests.

IN Lately The giants' habitat has shrunk. Places where elephants live are turned into national reserves to preserve the population of these animals, protecting them from poachers.

But the Indian elephant, on the contrary, prefers forested areas of India, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Laos and Sri Lanka. He feels comfortable among dense bushes and thickets of bamboo. This Asian elephant once lived in almost all areas of southern Asia, but now populations have declined greatly.

The Indian elephant can live even in inaccessible jungles. It is in this area that the largest number of wild specimens remain. But determining how many years an elephant lives can be quite difficult.

The lifespan of an elephant in the wild is significantly shorter than that of its domesticated counterparts or those living in zoos or national reserves. This is due to the difficult conditions of the places where the elephant lives, with diseases and the brutal extermination of giants.

Scientists are still arguing about how long people live wild elephant and what is their life expectancy in captivity.

Undoubtedly, how many years an elephant lives is determined by the species to which the mammal belongs. African savannas live the longest: among them there are individuals whose age reached 80 years. African forest proboscideans are somewhat smaller - 65-70 years. An Asian elephant at home or in zoos and national parks can live 55-60 years; in the natural environment, animals that have reached 50 years of age are considered long-livers.

How long elephants live depends on how the animal is cared for. A wounded and sick animal will not be able to live long. Sometimes even minor damage to the trunk or foot causes death. Under human supervision, many diseases of giants can be easily treated, which can significantly prolong life.

In their natural environment, animals have practically no enemies. Beasts of Prey They attack only stray cubs and sick individuals.

Being herbivores, proboscis spends more than 15 hours a day in search of food. To maintain their enormous body mass, they have to eat 40 to 400 kg of vegetation per day.

What elephants eat directly depends on their habitat: it can be grass, leaves, young shoots. The elephant's trunk picks them off and sends them into the mouth, where the food is thoroughly ground.

In captivity, the elephant eats hay (up to 20 kg per day), vegetables, especially carrots and cabbage, a variety of fruits, and grains.

How many years an elephant lives depends on what elephants eat. Zoo visitors often feed animals contraindicated food. Huge mammals are strictly prohibited from eating sweets.

Sometimes wild animals wander into the fields local residents and happily eat the harvest of corn, cane, and grains.

The animals are very social: they form herds, led by the oldest and most experienced female. She takes her relatives to food places and keeps order.

Scientists have come to interesting conclusions. All individuals are relatives. As a rule, these are females and immature males. Grown-up boys leave their families and often live alone or in the company of similar bachelors. They approach family herds only when they are ready to have offspring and at the call of the females.

Animals have very developed family instincts: everyone has their own role. The whole family is involved in raising children. In the event of an attack by predators, the elephant calves are surrounded by a tight ring and the enemies are driven away. Unfortunately, how many years an elephant lives depends on whether the family was able to preserve all of its offspring. Babies quite often die from disease, weakness and from attacks by predators (lions, cheetahs, hyenas, crocodiles).

To survive, giants need a large number of water. They can drink up to 200 liters per day, so the animals try to stay close to bodies of water. In dry times, they know how to dig wells, which saves not only themselves, but also many other animals.

Elephant mammals are very peaceful animals. Cases of them attacking other animals are extremely rare. They can only suffer from them when the giants, frightened by something, trample those who get in their way.

Old animals go to a certain place before they die, " elephant cemetery", where many relatives died, and there they spend their last days. The rest of the family sees them off and says a very touching goodbye.

Animals become sexually mature in different ways: males at the age of 14-15 years, females at 12-13.

Sometimes this age may vary depending on the amount of food and health status.

Several suitors come to the call of the female and her scent; they sometimes arrange fights, during which it is determined which male will remain. The elephant watches the contenders and after the end of the battle leaves with the winner. Elephants mating occurs away from the herd, after which the couple can walk together for several more days. Then the male leaves and the female returns to her family.

It’s quite interesting how long pregnant elephants walk. Elephants carry their cubs for quite a long time: 22-24 months. An elephant's gestation period is counted from the moment of mating. Pregnant females live with their herd, and males never appear nearby.

Compared to other mammals, elephant pregnancy lasts a record time: they carry their young for almost two years. The large size of females sometimes makes it difficult to see them immediately interesting situation, therefore, it is possible to calculate how long elephants have been bearing their cubs only from the moment of mating.

An elephant's pregnancy usually ends with the birth of one, or less often two, elephant calves, which weigh up to a hundredweight. Future mom leaves the herd, accompanied by an experienced female, and gives birth to a baby, which after 2-3 hours can stand on its feet and suck milk. A new mother returns to her herd with a baby elephant holding her tail.

Elephants carry their young for a very long time, so their populations, subject to severe extermination, for a long time were in danger of extinction.

How many years a male elephant lives in a herd is determined by the arrival of sexual maturity. Young males leave their families and live alone. But the females remain in the herd until the end of their days.

Among elephants, as among people, there are left-handers and right-handers. This can be understood by the tusks: the tusk will be longer on the side on which it works more often.

• These majestic animals are often found on the coats of arms of states (Congo, India). The image of a giant mammal was also on the family coat of arms of the famous great-grandfather of A.S. Pushkin, Abram Hannibal.
• Elephants are so skilled with their trunks that they can easily pick up a tiny or fragile object from the ground without damaging it. With the same trunk they will convey to the right place felled tree.
• Some giants paint paintings that have a very high price.
• Trauma to the trunk most often leads to the death of the animal.
• Elephants love to swim and swim quite quickly.
• The giant's usual speed when walking is 4-5 km/h, but when running it reaches speeds of up to 50 km/h.
• The story that elephants are afraid of mice is a complete fiction. Rodents do not make any holes in the feet, and certainly cannot eat a giant from the inside. But animals won't touch food if mice are running all over it. Therefore, to say that elephants are afraid of mice is incorrect; rather, they disdain them.

In some countries these animals are considered sacred. Murder is even punishable by death.