ELEPHANT FACTS
THE ELEPHANTS
There are two types of elephant, the Asian elephant and the African elephant.
Elephants are the largest land-living mammal in the world. It can weigh up to 6.000 kilograms and measure up to 3.3 meters at the shoulder.
Elephants can live to be over 70 years old.
Elephants are herbivores and can spend up to 16 hours a day collecting leaves, twigs, bamboo and roots.
An elephant’s skin is 2, 54 centimetres thick.
Elephants have poor eyesight but an amazing sense of smell.
Both female and male African elephants have tusks but only the male Asian elephants have tusks. They use their tusks for digging and finding food.
An elephant can use its tusks to dig for ground water. An adult elephant needs to drink around 210 litres of water a day.
Elephants have large and thin ears. Their ears help regulate their temperature. Blood through their ears cool them down in hot climates.
The elephant’s trunk is able to sense the size, shape and temperature of an object. An elephant uses its trunk to lift food and suck up water then pour it into its mouth.
An elephant’s trunk can grow to be about 2 metres long and can weigh up to 140 kg. Some scientists believe that an elephant’s trunk is made up of 100,000 muscles, but no bones.
Female elephants are called cows. They start to have calves when they are about 12 years old and they are pregnant for 22 months.
Female elephants spend their entire lives living in large groups called herds. Male elephant leave their herds at about 13 years old and live lonely lives from this point.
Elephants can swim – they use their trunk to breathe like a snorkel in deep water.
Elephants cry, play and laugh. They have incredible memories.
Elephants have no natural predators. However, lions will sometimes prey on young or weak elephants in the wild. The main risk to elephants is from humans through poaching and from changes to their habitat.
HELP THE ELEPHANTS!!
There are two types of elephant, the Asian elephant and the African elephant.
Elephants are the largest land-living mammal in the world. It can weigh up to 6.000 kilograms and measure up to 3.3 meters at the shoulder.
Elephants can live to be over 70 years old.
Elephants are herbivores and can spend up to 16 hours a day collecting leaves, twigs, bamboo and roots.
An elephant’s skin is 2, 54 centimetres thick.
Elephants have poor eyesight but an amazing sense of smell.
Both female and male African elephants have tusks but only the male Asian elephants have tusks. They use their tusks for digging and finding food.
An elephant can use its tusks to dig for ground water. An adult elephant needs to drink around 210 litres of water a day.
Elephants have large and thin ears. Their ears help regulate their temperature. Blood through their ears cool them down in hot climates.
The elephant’s trunk is able to sense the size, shape and temperature of an object. An elephant uses its trunk to lift food and suck up water then pour it into its mouth.
An elephant’s trunk can grow to be about 2 metres long and can weigh up to 140 kg. Some scientists believe that an elephant’s trunk is made up of 100,000 muscles, but no bones.
Female elephants are called cows. They start to have calves when they are about 12 years old and they are pregnant for 22 months.
Female elephants spend their entire lives living in large groups called herds. Male elephant leave their herds at about 13 years old and live lonely lives from this point.
Elephants can swim – they use their trunk to breathe like a snorkel in deep water.
Elephants cry, play and laugh. They have incredible memories.
Elephants have no natural predators. However, lions will sometimes prey on young or weak elephants in the wild. The main risk to elephants is from humans through poaching and from changes to their habitat.
HELP THE ELEPHANTS!!