Elephants
Elephants are the largest land-animals alive today. With a height of 10-12 feet, they weigh between 3 and 6 (7000 to 13000 lbs) tons.
Elephants are found in Africa and India. Their natural habitat can be anywhere as long as the place is warm and they have access to food and water.
Elephants are herbivorous animals. They feed on vegetation i-e grasses, herbs and bark etc. they consume near 150 kg of food per day. This is actually 5% of their body weight! They can’t digest 40% of the eaten food and make up for an inefficient digestive system by eating a lot. 3 to 5 gallons of water per day is also needed by them to survive. They spend most of their time eating. 16 hours of the day are spent feeding themselves. That is why they can get only about three hours of sleep a day.
Female elephants live in herds. The herd is headed by the eldest member. The females look after themselves and their cubs. It is also common that they try to care for injured or weak herd members, which is very unusual in animals. The young ones are looked after until they are old enough to live by themselves.
In sharp contrast, male elephants live alone. Their solitary lives are spent eating and fighting other males for breeding. The older ones usually dominate the younger ones and get to mate. Thus, most of the breeding is done by the older elephants.
The most prominent features of elephants are their tusks and large ears. The tusks are very valuable. Most of the elephant-hunting is after them.
Elephants are considered as quite intelligent animals. Their intelligence is comparable to dolphins. Their brain weighs 5 kg (11 lbs).
Elephants have very powerful senses of smell and hearing. Sound receptors are not only present in the ears but also in their feet and trunk. The feet also have some sensors which can detect sound frequencies through land. They have poor eyesight.
The elephants have also been domesticated. They have been vastly used in warfare for centuries. Their huge size and strength is unmatchable by any other source. A charging elephant was once the most dreadful sight a soldier could face. However, in spite of all their uses, they were very difficult to tame and raise.
Despite their portrayal as gentle animals, they can be very dangerous if they choose to attack. Between 2001 and 2005, near 300 deaths were reported in Assam, India as a result of elephant attacks. Their immense size means that they can crush any other living beings even the enormous Rhinos.
The number of elephants in the world today is about 700,000. Only a tenth of the population is in India, the rest are in Africa. A large number is also domesticated in zoos and circuses etc.