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Labelled Diagram

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Life Cycle

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Fun Elephant Facts For Kids [year] [Size, Tusk, Diet, etc]

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Fun Elephant Facts For Kids Elephants are large, majestic animals that have been admired and studied for hundreds of years. They are the largest mammals that live on land and are known for their gentle

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The Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus),is found primarily in large parts of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina and parts of Indonesia. The Asian elephant is considered endangered, with between 25,600 and 32,750 individuals left in the wild. Asian elephants belong to the family of elephants (Elephantidae), which is included in the mammal order 'Proboscidea'. The Asian elephant was formerly called the Indian elephant.

Asian Elephant Characteristics

The Asian elephant has an large domed head with relatively small ears, an arched back and a single prehensile finger that is located at the tip of the trunk. An Asian elephant has 5 toes on the front of the feet and and 4 on the back. A large male Asian elephant can typically weigh 6 tons and measure 10 feet in height at the shoulder. The male Asian elephants have tusks and the females have 'tushes', which are short second incisors that just stick out beyond the upper lip.

An Asian Elephant has a low neck which is curved upwards and protruding foreheads which appears as two noticeable bumps. Their under lip is long, narrow and pointed. An Asian elephants skin is less wrinkled than the African elephants and only about 50% of Asian Elephant bulls have long tusks.

Asian elephants have rather poor vision and are only capable of seeing clearly at very short distances up to about 10 metres. However, they have excellent hearing which is superior to human standards. Their large ears act as amplifiers and warn of possible dangers. Asian elephants have an excellent sense of smell which is thought to be superior to that of any other land mammal. They have excellent balance achieved by high tactile sense. The trunk, an incredibly versatile organ, contributes greatly to this ability.

Asian Elephant Reproduction

Male Asian elephants are quite solitary and only join the herd for mating seasons. Sometimes, male elephants will duel and the winner becomes the primary mating partner for the whole herd. The female Asian elephants run away for a short while, as part of a ritual, before mating with the victorious mate. The mating couple then remain together for around 3 weeks before the male heads off to the bachelor herd.

The gestation period of the female Asian elephant is between 19 and 22 months. When she gives birth, the other herd females form a circle around the pregnant cow. She assumes a squatting position while giving birth and the birth takes around 2 hours. Just 2 hours after birth the calf can stand up and begins to suckle the mother.

Baby elephants (calves) suckle their mother using the mouth and not their trunks. Baby elephants are weaned on milk for between 2 to 4 years. Although the calf will naturally be attracted to its mother, other females in the herd often take turns to look after the baby. If the mother dies then the other female elephants look after the orphaned calf.

In regions where large carnivores, such as big cats, prey upon newly born elephants, the mother forms alliances with other herd members. Mother and associated protectors then blow dust over the new-born calf with their trunks in order to dry it.

Female elephants can bear young at the age of 15 - 16 years. They are fully grown at 20 years old. Elephants are in their working prime between 20 - 40 years old. Female elephants start going bald around 30 years old and begin to slow down at around 40 years old and begin to do only light duties only when they reach 50 years old. Female Asian elephant live to be around 70 years old.

Asian Elephant Sizes

Elephants are the largest of all land creatures.

A male elephant can stand 2.7metres (9 feet) in height.

A male elephant can weigh between 3 - 5 tonnes.

Female elephants can stand 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) in height.

Female elephants can weigh between 2.3 - 4.5 tonnes.

Newly born baby elephants (calves) stand at around (0.9 metres) 3 feet.

Newly born baby elephants weigh 90 kilograms (200 pounds).

Asian Elephant Trunks

The elephants trunk is the most versatile of all animal organs. The trunk can be used for such diverse tasks as shifting a 600 kilograms log to picking up a blade of grass. It is a boneless mass of flesh and contains up to 100,000 muscles that are very flexible. It is usually 2 metres long and weighs around 140 kilograms.

The trunk has a small finger like lip at the end which can distinguish between size, shape, texture, hot and cold. The animal uses its trunk to feed and drink by bringing food and water to the mouth. An elephant also uses its trunk to breathe, make noises, caress its young. When totally submerged in water the trunk can also be used as a snorkel. Trunks can hold six litres of water and are often used as a flexible shower hose pipe. It is a superb organ of smell, and can be directed easily towards where the smell is coming from.

By beating the ground violently with the trunk the elephant signals its anger or displeasure. When an elephant is on unsteady or unfamiliar ground it will use the outside of the trunk to beat the earth, determining if the ground is firm enough to walk on. Once safety is confirmed, the front foot is moved forward onto the tested area. The rear foot follows and is carefully placed in exactly the same footprint.

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Asian Elephant - Key Facts, Information & Pictures

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The Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus),is found primarily in large parts of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina and parts of Indonesia. The Asian elephant is considered endangered, with between 25,600 and 32,750 individuals left in the wild. Asian elephants belong to the family of elephants (Elephantidae), which is included in the mammal order 'Proboscidea'.

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Click here for more animal facts

Elephants are the worlds largest land mammal. A mammal is a species that is born and not hatched from an egg. Mammals have lungs that breathe air. When a female mammal gives birth, their bodies produce milk to feed their babies. Humans are also mammals.

A well-known prehistoric ancestor to the elephant is a woolly mammoth.

The scientific name for an African Elephant is Loxodonta africana and the scientific name for an Asian Elephant is Elephas Maximus.

A female elephant is called a cow. A male elephant is called a bull and a baby elephant is called a calf.

African Elephants vs Asian Elephants

There are two types of Asian Elephants and African Elephants.

African Elephants live in forests, savannas, grasslands throughout Africa.

The African savanna elephant sometimes called the bush elephant is the largest type of elephant.

Asian elephants live in the Southwest part of Asia and also in India. Asian elephants live in tropical forests and mountain forests. A mountain forest is a forest located at a high altitude over 2,500 meters above sea level.

Asian elephants are sometimes divided into fours sub-species the Indian, Sir Lankan, Sumatran and the baby-faced pygmy elephants of Borneo.

African elephants are larger than Asian Elephants. They also have longer trunks and legs and bigger ears.

All African elephants have tusks. Female Asian elephants do not have tusks, some of the males do.

Asian elephants have long thick hairs and African elephants have hardly any hairs.

Elephant Body

An elephant has a large body with a head, four legs, tail, trunk, and tusks. Their skin is very thick and has a rough feel to it.

Elephants have large ears and excellent hearning. Scientists believe by waving their ears helps them stay cool. Elephants also use their ears to express emotion. They will flap their ears when greeting other elephants or are happy. They will push them out and make them look when they feel they are in danger.

Elephants are gray in color.

Elephants grow long teeth, these are called tusks. Tusks never stop growing. Male African Elephants can grow tusks as long as 8ft. Elephant tusks are made out of ivory. Elephants don't have any natural predators, but, humans have been known to kill elephants for their ivory tusks. It is illegal to kill elephants for their ivory, however, poachers are still killing elephants and selling their ivory on the black market. Poaching is when an animal is killed illegally.

Elephant Trunk

Elephants are well-known for their large trunk. An Elephant trunk is made to move in many ways. This helps elephants use their trunk in many different ways.

- Elephants use their trunk to get food and put in their mouth.

Drink- Elephants use their trunk to suck up water after they suck up the water, they squirt the water in their mouth.

Bathe- Elephants also use their trunk to suck up water and spray it over their body to get clean.

Smell- An elephant's trunk is their nose. Elephants use their trunk to smell objects in front of them.

Play- An elephant uses its trunk to greet each other and play.

Attention- Baby calves will raise their trunk to get attention from their mothers and other elephants.

Greeting- Elephants will sometimes greet each other by putting their tusks in each other's mouths.

An elephant's trunk is not only useful but it's also very strong. Their trunk has about 50,000 muscles and no bones. The trunk is strong enough to lift and move trees out of the way! Adult elephants can lift up to 550 pounds using their trunks.

Elephant trunks have "fingers" at the end of it to help the elephant grab objects. An African Elephant has two "fingers" and an Asian Elephant has one "finger."

Largest Land Mammal

Elephants are around 200 pounds when they are born. That's one big baby!

An adult African male elephant can grow to be 12 feet tall and weigh up to 7 tons! A ton is 2,000 pounds. So some elephants can grow up to 14,000 pounds. That is one big animal!

An adult Asian male elephant can grow to be 10 feet tall and weight 2-5 tons.

Female elephants are smaller than males and weigh less.

Elephants are herbivores meaning they only eat plants and vegetables. They do not eat meat. Elephants like to eat berries other fruit, roots, bark, grass, and leaves.

An adult elephant can spend 16 hours of their day eating. An adult elephant eats between 300-600 pounds of food every day. How do they eat all that food? An elephant has four large teeth that they slide back and forth to chew their food. All that chewing wears on elephants teeth. They grow new teeth to replace the old ones. Elephants can go through six sets of teeth in their lifetime.

Since elephants spend so much of their day eating, they spend a lot of time pooping too. An elephant can poop 12-15 times a day all that poop can add up to 300 pounds a day!

Eating all that food can make an elephant thirsty. Elephants can drink between 40-50 gallons of eater every day. Elephants have been known to dig up the ground in search of water.

Elephants travel in herds. A herd is a group of 8 to 30 elephants. Elephant herds are led by females. The leader of the herd is called a matriarch. The matriarch is the oldest female in the group. The matriarch is in charge of finding water and food for the herd.

Male elephants or bulls will stay with the herd for about 12 years. Once they become a full adult they will leave the herd to live with other young male elephants. Once they grow older, they will move on again to live alone.

A mother elephant is pregnant with her baby for 22 months.

A baby elephant is called a calf. A calf is about 200 pounds when they are born. Calves are able to stand and walk only after an hour after they are born.

Calves will suck on its trunk just like some babies suck their fingers or thumbs.

When they are born, they start drinking milk from their mother. A calf will only have their mother's milk for the first couple of months of life. After a couple of months, they will start to eat plants. This is similar to a human baby who also only drinks milk from their mother or formula for their first couple of months, then they will start eating baby food.

A calf will drink up to 3 gallons of milk each day from the age of two years old until they are 10.

When a calf is born it will join the herd. The members of the elephant herd will gather around the new calf to greet him or her. They will make trumpet sounds and touch the calf with their trunk to show how happy they are for the birth of the baby.

It takes an elephant 10-15 years before becoming an adult. Adult male elephants will leave their families and find a new herd. Female elephants stay with their mother's herd.

All members of the herd will help take care of and protect the calf.

Calves love to play just like kids. They will climb on each other and play by using their trunks.

Scientists discovered that elephants sing. They use an ultrasound rumble too low for humans to hear to keep the herd together and to find mates.

Elephants have been taught to paint too. Elephants have been working with people for thousands of years. They have helped carry large objects and have been used for transportation and also used to scare enemies during invasions. Today some elephants are in shows and parades. People work with elephants to teach them commands such as "come" and "bring." Now elephants have been taught to paint too.

Elephants have been taught to use their trunks to hold a paintbrush. Their teacher will pass them a paintbrush will paint on it and direct the elephant to the paper to paint. When the elephant wants a new color he or she will give the paintbrush back to the teacher. When they no longer want to paint they will drop the paintbrush and walk away.

Elephants sleep about 2 hours per day.

Elephants need a lot of water for drinking, swimming and staying clean. They will walk hundreds of miles in search of a source of water.

Elephants like to swim and splash in the water. Once they are finished swimming members of the herd will help each other throw dust all over themselves. The dusk will act as sunblock and bug repellent. Elephants also roll around in the mud to keep cool.

Elephants play an important role in the circle of life. They are "keystone species" which means their existence in important for other plants and animals to survive. As they roam through forests, they push down trees and clear paths. The leaves of the fallen trees become food for the smaller animals. The clear paths also help smaller animals pass through the forest. Their large piles of poop or dung also serve as a food source for dung beetles.

The average lifespan for an elephant is 60-70 years.

Refrences:

Elephants by Julie Murray
The Elephant by Jenni Desmond
Baby Elephant Joins the Herd American Museum and Natural History
Elephants Can Paint Too! by Katya Arnold

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Elephant Facts for Kids - Kids Play and Create

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Elephant Facts for Kids Click here for more animal facts What is an Elephant? Elephants are the worlds largest land mammal. A mammal is a species that is born and not hatched from an egg. Mammals have lungs that breathe air. When a female mammal gives birth, their bodies produce milk to feed ...

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The Asian Elephant ( Elephas Maximus) is an elephant species living in Asia. They are more easily tamed than larger African elephants. People have used them as working animals for hundreds of years.

Description

In general, the Asian elephant is smaller than the African bush elephant.

The ears are small.

The feet have more nail-like structures than those of African elephants - five on each forefoot, and four on each hind foot.

On average, males are about 2.75 m (9.0 ft) tall at the shoulder and 4 t (4.4 short tons) in weight, while females are smaller at about 2.4 m (7.9 ft) at the shoulder and 2.7 t (3.0 short tons) in weight.

The largest bull elephant ever recorded was shot by the Maharajah of Susang in the Garo Hills of Assam, India in 1924, it weighed 7 t (7.7 short tons), stood 3.43 m (11.3 ft) tall at the shoulder and was 8.06 m (26.4 ft) long from head to tail. There are reports of larger individuals as tall as 3.7 m (12 ft).

The distinctive trunk is an elongation of the nose and upper lip combined; the nostrils are at its tip, which has a one finger-like process. The trunk contains as many as 60,000 muscles.

The trunk has many uses and is highly sensitive. The acute sense of smell uses both the trunk and Jacobson's organ.

Elephants use their trunks for breathing, watering, feeding, touching, dusting, sound production and communication, washing, pinching, grasping, defense and offense.

The trunk can hold about four litres of water. Elephants will playfully wrestle with each other using their trunks, but generally use their trunks only for gesturing when fighting.

Tusks serve to dig for water, salt, and rocks, to debark and uproot trees, as levers for maneuvering fallen trees and branches, for work, for display, for marking trees, as weapon for offense and defense, as trunk-rests, and as protection for the trunk. Elephants are known to be right or left tusked.

Female Asian elephants usually lack tusks; if tusks - in that case called "tushes" - are present, they are barely visible, and only seen when the mouth is open.

Skin colour is usually grey, and may be masked by soil because of dusting and wallowing.

Their wrinkled skin is movable and is smoother than that of African elephants, and may be depigmented on the trunk, ears, or neck.

The epidermis and dermis of the body average 18 mm (0.71 in) thick; skin on the dorsum is 30 mm (1.2 in) thick providing protection against bites, bumps, and adverse weather. They can tolerate cold better than excessive heat.

Intelligence

Asian elephants are highly intelligent and self-aware. They exhibit a wide variety of behaviours, including those associated with grief, learning, allomothering, mimicry, play, altruism, use of tools, compassion, cooperation, self-awareness, memory, and language.

Elephants are reported to go to safer ground during natural disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes, although there have been no scientific records of this since it is hard to recreate or predict natural disasters.

Distribution and habitat

Asian elephants inhabit grasslands, tropical evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests and dry thorn forests, in addition to cultivated and secondary forests and scrublands.

In China, Asian elephants survive only in the prefectures of Xishuangbanna, Simao, and Lincang of southern Yunnan.

In Bangladesh, some isolated populations survive in the south-east Chittagong Hills.

Three subspecies are recognised:

the Sri Lankan elephant occurs in Sri Lanka;

the Indian elephant occurs in mainland Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malay Peninsula, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam;

the Sumatran elephant occurs in Sumatra.

The Borneo elephant occurs in Borneo's northern and northeastern parts.

Ecology and behaviour

Elephants are crepuscular. They are classified as megaherbivores and consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. They are both grazers and browsers, and were recorded to feed on 112 different plant species, most commonly of the order Malvales, and the legume, palm, sedge and true grass families.

They browse more in the dry season with bark constituting a major part of their diet in the cool part of that season.

They drink at least once a day and are never far from a permanent source of fresh water. They need 80-200 litres of water a day and use even more for bathing. At times, they scrape the soil for clay or minerals.

Adult females and calves may move about together as groups, but adult males disperse from their mothers upon reaching adolescence. Bull elephants may be solitary or form temporary 'bachelor groups'.

Social ties generally tend to be weaker than in African elephants.

Elephants are able to distinguish low amplitude sounds. They use infrasound to communicate.

Tiger predation on Asian elephants is rare but is not restricted only to small calves.

Reproduction

Between the age of 10 and 20 years, bulls undergo an annual phenomenon known as "musth". This is a period where the testosterone level is up to 100 times greater than non-musth periods, and they become aggressive. They fight other bulls for access to the females.

The gestation period is 18-22 months, and the female gives birth to one calf, only occasionally twins. The calf is fully developed by the 19th month, but stays in the womb to grow so that it can reach its mother to feed. At birth, the calf weighs about 100 kg (220 lb), and is suckled for up to three years.

Once a female gives birth, she usually does not breed again until the first calf is weaned, resulting in a four to five year birth interval.

Females stay on with the herd, but mature males are chased away.

Asiatic elephants reach adulthood at 17 years of age in both sexes.

Elephants' life expectancy has been exaggerated in the past. They live on average for 60 years in the wild and 80 in captivity.

Interaction with humans

At most seasons of the year, Asian elephants are timid and much more ready to flee from a foe than to attack. However, solitary rogues are frequently an exception to this rule, and sometimes make unprovoked attacks on passers-by. Rogue elephants sometimes take up a position near a road, making it impassable to travelers.

Females with calves are at all times dangerous to approach. When an Asian elephant makes a charge, it tightly curls up its trunk and attacks by trampling its victim with feet or knees, or, if a male, by pinning it to the ground with its tusks. During musth, bulls are highly dangerous, not only to human beings, but also to other animals. At the first indications, trained elephants are secured tightly to prevent any mishaps.

Domestication

The first historical record of the domestication of Asian elephants was in Harappan times. Ultimately, the elephant went on to become a siege engine, a mount in war, a status symbol, a beast of burden, and an elevated platform for hunting during historical times in South Asia.

Elephants have been captured from the wild and tamed for use by humans. Their ability to work under instruction makes them particularly useful for carrying heavy objects.

They have been used particularly for timber-carrying in jungle areas. Other than their work use, they have been used in war, in ceremonies, and for carriage. They have been used for their ability to travel over difficult terrain by hunters, for whom they served as mobile hunting platforms. The same purpose is met in safaris in modern times.

The biggest threat to Asian elephants today is loss of habitat, leading in turn to increasing conflicts between humans and elephants. They are poached for ivory and a variety of other products including meat and leather.

Images for kids

The nail-like structures on the toes of an Asian elephant

Elephants on the road in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

Rhythmic swaying behaviour is not reported in free ranging wild elephants and may be symptomatic of psychological disorders.

In Spanish: Elephas maximus para niños

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Fun facts about the asian elephant for kids.