Amazing Asian Elephant

Posted in Wildlife A-Z | April 21, 2010 | Comment Now

The elephant is the world’s largest animal. The Asian elephant is slightly smaller than its African counterpart. The Asian elephant can be distinguished by their small, rounded ears. The ears of the African elephant resemble the contours of the African continent.

To keep cool, ears of the elephant radiate heat. This is not always enough. Elephants love playing in water. They suck water with the help of their trunks and spray it all over their body.

The elephant’s trunk is in reality a long nose and has many functions. Elephants use their trunk for smelling, breathing, drinking, grabbing things, and sounding the trumpet. The trunk contains nearly 100,000 diverse muscles. A finger-like feature at the end of the trunk is characteristic of Asian elephants. They utilize this to grab small items. African elephants have two such structures.

With the help of their tusks, elephants dig for roots and water. It is also used to strip bark from trees and in combat. They got into a lot of trouble with poachers on account of their ivory. Scores of elephants have been killed for their tusks due to the popularity of ivory. Though illegal, this ivory trade continues to be rampant.

The primary food of elephants includes roots, grass, fruits and barks. Adult elephants are known to consume 300 pounds of food in a single day.

Elephants do not sleep for long periods of time. They cover long distances through walking and foraging. To support their huge bodies, they need large quantities of food.

Female elephants, also known as cows, live in herds with their young ones. Adult males or bulls roam on their own.

It is a serious commitment to have a baby elephant. The duration of pregnancy for an elephant is the largest among all mammals: 22 months. Cows give birth to calves every two to four years. Baby elephants weigh 200 pounds at birth. Their average height is three feet.

Asian elephants are known to have been domesticated for thousands of years. These powerful creatures are employed to move heavy objects such as trees. They have also been used in war.