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Image from www.dcist.com
Image from www.elephant-photos.com
Elephant Facts
* There are two types, African Elephants and Asian Elephants
* African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth
* They can live up to 70 years
* They are herbivores
* They can grow up to 13 feet tall
* They can weigh up to 14,000 lbs.
* They are considered a threatened species
* Their ears radiate heat to keep their body temperature cooler
* Their trunk contains 100,000 different muscles and serves as a nose, a hand, a foot, and a signaling device
* They use their tusks to dig for food and water
* The largest tusk ever found weighed 214 lbs. and was 11.5 feet long
* They eat for 16 hours a day
* They can eat up to 300 lbs. of food a day
* They need anywhere between 30 gallons and 50 gallons of water every day
* At birth, a baby elephant weighs 200 lbs.
* Pads on their feet allow them to walk in absolute silence
* Their main form of communication is through grunts, purrs, bellows, whistles and trumpeting
* Similar to cows an elephant male = a bull, a female = a cow, and a baby = a calf
* They walk at a pace of around 4 mph
* They have poor sight and poor hearing
* They have the largest brain in the entire animal kingdom
* “The elephant is distinguished by its high level of intelligence, interesting behavior, methods of communication and complex social structure” (www.outofafrica.com)
* “Elephants demonstrate concern for members of their families they take care of weak or injured members and appear to grieve over a dead companion” (www.outofafrica.com)
REFERENCES
www.nationalgeographic.com
http://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/engelephant.html
http://www.facts-about.org.uk/animals-elephants.html
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