Discover the Wonders of Elephants
Elephants are among the most remarkable and intelligent creatures on our planet, captivating us with their incredible size, unique social structures, and profound emotional depth. These gentle giants have lived alongside humans for centuries, and their behavior and biology continue to intrigue researchers and wildlife enthusiasts alike. In this article, we present you with 15 fun facts about elephants that highlight their extraordinary abilities, their essential role in the ecosystem, and the challenges they face today. Get ready to learn more about the magnificent animals with these interesting facts about elephants!
1. Elephants are pregnant for a whopping 22 months. Longer than any other animal. That’s nearly 2 years!
2. At birth, a baby elephants weigh 210 lbs (or 95kg).
3. African elephants are smaller at birth than Asian elephants but are much bigger as adults.
4. The trunk is an incredibly useful, dexterous and clever appendage. It is able to sense the size, shape and temperature of an object.
5. Their trunks are pretty incredible and elephants have an amazing sense of smell, but their eyesight isn’t great.
6. To prove that point, elephants can smell water from 12 miles away!
7. That makes sense when you consider that they drink 210 litres of water a day.
8. Elephants spend up to 16 hours foraging every day.
9. But only 2-3 hours are spent sleeping. That shows what their priorities are!
10. All those mud baths that elephants take? That is because elephants actually have very sensitive skin, so they use the mud and dust to protect it
11. I guess that makes sense when you consider that the typical lifespan of an elephant is 70 years!
12. Sadly, around 100 elephants are killed every day for their ivory tusks.
13. On a lighter note, elephants are the only mammals besides humans to have chins! Is that my chin you’re looking at?!
14. An elephant has more than 100,000 muscle. 40 000 of which are in that amazing trunk. To put that in perspective, we humans have a paltry 639!
15. Female elephants have the longest pregnancy of any mammal. It’s a lengthy 22 months before baby elephants are ready to be born!
Now you know a bit more about these incredible animals, we are pleased to announce our 3rd Elephant project is being launched this month in Sri Lanka. Working with the local community on an ethical and sustainable research and protection project we aim to build a new strategy for protecting and managing Asian elephants that live outside protected areas. With the support of Action Change and our donors, fundraisers and corporate partnerships we hope to be able to support this project long term until we illuminate the issue of human elephant conflict in Asia.
What to help and get involved? Get in touch with our team here or donate to our Asian Elephant Protection and Rescue Project today.
