LIFE IN THE WILD ELEPHANT FACTS

ELEPHANTS HAVE BIG APPETITES They love to eat many kinds of plants from grass and fruit to leaves and bark. they spend up to 16 hours eating a day. They eat about 220 to 440 pounds (100-200 kg) They use their trunk to reach leaves and fruit from high branches and rip bark with their tusks

Male African Elephants weight up to 15,000 lbs (6,800kg) MALE ELEPHANTS RARELY GET INTO REAL FIGHTS Male elephants scuffle with one another to prove who is the boss, but they rarely hurt one another. They flap their ears to make themselves look bigger, curl and uncurl their truck, and shake their head around. When it becomes obvious which elephant is likely to win a real fight, the other one backs down and allows itself to be chased away. Male African Elephants weight up to 15,000 lbs (6,800kg) Female African Elephants weight up to 8,000 lbs (3,600 kg)

FEMALE ELEPHANTS ACT AS BABYSITTERS FOR OTHER MOTHERS CALVES Female elephants live in family groups and help care for each other’s babies. Aunts will help their sisters calves if they get stuck in the mud, swat them with their tails, shade them from the hot sun, and protect them from danger.

Family Members WelcomeNew Arrivals Young Elephants Play Games Games help young elephants get to know others in the herd. They also help them develop strength and fighting skills that will be useful later in life. Male elephants push and shove one another, and females play chasing games. Mothers and aunts will break up “fights” if the pay becomes too rough. Family Members WelcomeNew Arrivals The other female elephants in the herd stay with the mother while she’s giving birth. They become very excited-rumbling and screaming-and show a lot of interest in the new baby. A newborn calf weighs between 165 and 242 pounds (75 and 110 kg), which is a similar weight for an adult male human.

EYESIGHT Research has shown that elephants are color-blind compared to humans. In daylight, elephants are dichromic; meaning they have two kinds of colour sensors in their retina: one type of cone for reds and another for green

Elephants Comfort and Grieve For Family Members Elephants form strong bonds with the members of their herd. They will stay with a sick relative for many days. When the relative dies, members of the herd gather around the body. They cover it with twigs and leaves, and stand nearby, quietly touching and mourning their loved one.

SOME UNUSUAL FACTS ON ELEPHANTS African elephants avoid eating a type of acacia tree that is home to ants because they don’t want the ants to get inside their trunks, which are full of sensitive nerve endings. Elephants sleep standing up The elephant’s trunk is able to sense the size, shape, and temperature of an object. Elephants have been known to induce labour by self-medicating with certain plants. Bull elephants court females by using rituals involving various affectionate gestures and nuzzles. An elephant herd is considered one of the most closely knit societies of any animal, and a female will only leave it if she dies or is captured by humans. Elephants communicate within their herds or between herds many kilometres away by stamping their feet and making sounds too low for human ears to perceive. The elephant’s closest living relative is the rock hyrax, a small furry mammal that lives in rocky landscapes across sub-Saharan Africa

ELEPHANT EMOTIONS Elephants are capable of a range of emotions, including joy, playfulness, grief and mourning. They are able to learn new facts and behaviours, mimic sounds that they hear, self-medicate, and display compassion and self-awareness!

ELEPHANTS ARE THE ONLY ANIMAL WHICH SURPASSES ALL OTHERS IN WIT AND MIND ARISTOTLE

QUESTIONS ON SLIDE PRESENTATION HOW MANY HOURS A DAY DO ELEPHANTS SPEND EATING? WHAT KINDS OF FOOD DO THEY EAT? DO MALE ELEPHANTS REALLY FIGHT? HOW DO THEY ACT TO PROVE THEY ARE THE STRONGEST? WHAT TYPE OF GAMES DO FEMALE ELEPHANTS PLAY? WHAT KIND DO MALE ELEPHANTS PLAY? HOW MUCH DOES A NEW BORN CALF WEIGH? DO OTHER FEMALES HELP WITH THE NEWBORN CALF? ARE ELEPHANTS COLOR-BLIND? HOW DO ELEPHANTS COMMUNICATE? NAME SOME OF THE EMOTIONS ELEPHANTS ARE CAPABLE OF SHOWING WHAT DO THEY DO WHEN A MEMBER OF THE HERD DIES? WHAT CAN AN ELEPHANTS TRUNK SENSE? WHY DO THEY AVOID EATING A CERTAIN KIND OF ACACIA TREE?