Asian elephant Facts
Asian elephant Facts
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| Interesting Asian elephant Facts: |
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| Asian elephant can reach 21 feet in length and up to 11.000 pounds of weight. |
| Asian elephant has dark grey to brown body. Pink skin can be seen on the parts of forehead, ears, trunk and chest. |
| Only male Asian elephants have tusks. Females have reduced tusks known as tushes. |
| Asian elephant has smaller body and smaller, more rounded ears than its African cousin. |
| Elephants are extremely intelligent animals. They have huge brain, well-developed self-awareness, and ability to learn to use tools. Elephant is one of the rare animals that can recognize its own reflection in the mirror. |
| Asian elephant has very long trunk that is used for breathing, smelling, trumpeting, digging of food from the ground, stripping bark from the trees and for manipulation of various objects. Elephant can crush large tree and collect small items from the surface of the ground with its trunk with equal ease. Fine coordination and strength of trunk lays in the fact that it is made of around 60.000 muscles. |
| Asian elephant eliminates excess heat from the body via its large ears. During very hot periods of day, it usually hides in the shade of trees or in the water. Asian elephant covers its back with water and dirt to prevent overheating. |
| Asian elephant is a herbivore. Its diet is based on grass, herbs, fruit, bark and leaves. Adult elephant consumes 300 pounds of food per day. |
| Asian elephant lives in large family groups (herds) made of closely related females and their offspring. Oldest, largest and most experienced female - matriarch - is the leader of the herd. |
| Males leave their native herds when they reach puberty. Young males travel alone or gathered in bachelor herds. Adult males prefer solitary life. |
| Asian elephants communicate via low-frequency calls that can be detected few miles away. |
| Females mate only with large, dominant, testosterone-filled males. |
| Pregnancy lasts 20 to 22 months and ends with one or rarely two calves. |
| Females usually start to reproduce at the age of 14 years. They produce offspring once every 4 years. |
| Asian elephant can survive 60 to 70 years in the wild, but nearly 50% of Asian elephants die before the age of 15 years. |
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