Elephants

There are two different species of elephant: the African Elephant and the Asian Elephant. African elephants all have tusks unlike Asian elephants, as only some males do. Asian elephants are a little bit smaller and have smaller ears.

Elephants can be left or right tusked, the same way you and I are right or left-handed. We know this because their dominant tusk wears down over time!

Elephants can weigh up to 6 tonnes, which is the same as 3 cars, almost as much as a T-Rex!

Elephants are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. They eat grass, leaves, and fruit, and like to live close to water so they always have enough to drink and bathe in. Sometimes elephants can spend all day eating, up to 18 hours! They need to do this so they have eaten enough to maintain their huge body mass.

Their trunks are used to breathe when they swim, suck up water, talking, and picking things up.

Did you know that Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, used elephants to fight Romans, and even marched them over the Alps?

Elephants like to socialise, they live in groups with a matriarch, a female leader who decides where they go. Adult male elephants tend to live on their own or in small groups away from the group.

Elephants are pregnant for 22 months, the longest time of any mammal, and only have a baby every 4 or 5 years. .

Unfortunately, some people like to hunt elephants. In some places they do not trust modern medicine and still think the ivory from elephant tusks can be used as medicine. This is a big problem from China and Thailand especially. Some people also like to hunt for sport or use the ivory to make sculptures and souvenirs.

Ivory trade is now illegal, and we are doing a lot more to protect the elephants we have left.