Elephants
Elephants...... wow, where to start!
Ok ill do bullet points:
- Where can I find them
- Eating habits
Elephants need to eat 150 kg of vegetation a day. This is made up of grass, leafs,
bushes, berries and fruit. Elephants will sometimes eat tree bark which contains
calcium to aid digestion. To make a change from all that vegetation, they will use
their tusks to dig up earth to get to salt and minerals. Sometimes a herd of elephants
have formed caves and hills, searching for these salt licks.
- Tusks
Elephants tusk are formed from the second upper incisors, and can grow to over
3 m long in some African elephants. The longest tusk on record was 3 1/2 m (138 in).
The tusks grow over the elephants lifetime at a rate of about 18 cm a year.
One third of the tusk is attached to the the skull underneath the skin. the outer part is
dentine covered in apatite, which is made up of mainly calcium phosphate. This is
the bit most wanted by poachers, the ivory.
- Ears
African Elephants have the largest ears, on average 1.5 m across.
But they aren't used for extra hearing, elephants use their ears as massive fans or
for dominance and threat displays. Asian elephants have smaller ears because their
habitat is normally cooler.
- Different types
- African
- Asian
- Borneo Pygmy
- Telling the difference
One way to tell the difference is to look at the shape of the head.
Asian Elephants have a dipped hump on their head, but African Elephants have a smooth one.
Another difference is their food. Asian elephants generally eat more grass, Whereas African elephants have a more leaf based diet. They also have different shaped trunks, teeth and body shape.
- Extinction rate
According to recent study’s Elephants
will be extinct in roughly 12 years,
due to humans poaching these
harmless creatures.
Beginning
of 20th
century
|
Now.
2013-2014
|
In 10 years
|
|
African
|
2 million
|
450 000 to
700 000
|
As many as 20% will be killed off
|
Asian
|
100 000
|
35 000 to
40 000
|
Not recorded
|
Borneo
|
Not counted
|
1500 left in the
wild.
|
Extinct
|
African are the least threatened species, but there is still an increasing poaching
rate. Most study’s agree that African elephants will not go extinct as quickly as
rate. Most study’s agree that African elephants will not go extinct as quickly as
other types yet they are still on the WWF critical animals list.
Asian elephants are more often used as carriers and way of transport then
any other type, but they are also the most protected. There are more breeding
sanctuary’s and safe parks for Asian cows and baby’s then any other species.
any other type, but they are also the most protected. There are more breeding
sanctuary’s and safe parks for Asian cows and baby’s then any other species.
Borneo Pygmy’s are the most endangered of all the elephants.14 have been
found poisoned since January 2013. One of their main threats beside poaching
is their habitat being destroyed.
found poisoned since January 2013. One of their main threats beside poaching
is their habitat being destroyed.
- Fact file
- Elephants are the largest land animal
- The Elephant is the only mammal that can't jump
- Elephants can be left tusked or right tusked!
- Elephants have the second best memories for a animal, after dolphins (and humans).
- Elephants can cry and laugh, just like a human
- Elephants can swim! They use there trunks as snorkels in deeper water.
- Elephants can listen through there feet. They pick up sub-sonic rumbles made by other elephants, through vibrations in the ground.
- Elephants will mourn there dead, standing by the skeletons gentling touching the skull with there trunks.
to poach them like we do. If you want to do something to help, visit this link
to adopt an Elephant today:
https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-an-elephant?_ga=1.74397140.795824284.1390500977
Ta