ZOOTRITIONAnimals StudiedAffie's Biography

Affie the Elephant

Additional information about Elephants

An African elephant's natural habitat is very diverse. It basically includes everything south of the Sahara Desert, except any desert land or desert steppes. Their habitats are temperate forest and rainforest, temperate grassland, tropical deciduous forest and savannas.

The two species of elephants are the African and Indian elephant. The African elephant can be quickly distinguished from the Indian elephant by its greater size and its larger ears. The most distinctive feature of elephants is their muscular trunk. It is actually a greatly elongated upper lip and nose used to carry grass, leaves, and water to the mouth. They consume as much as 225 kg of forage each day and drink about 190 liters of water. The trunk is also used to vocalize, pull down trees and draw up dust for dust bathing. Elephants' eyesight is relatively poor. Their eyes, are comparatively small and fixed on the animal's large and relatively immobile head. Elephants can walk almost noiselessly and with exceptional grace, their columnar legs keep their bulk moving forward in smooth, rhythmic strides. There is a thick cushion of resilient tissue on the base of the foot, which absorbs the shock and enables the animal to walk high on its hoof-like toes. Elephants usually walk about 6.4 km/h (about 4 mph) and can charge at up to 40 km/h (25 mph). They can also swim for long distances without tiring.

Elephants associate in herds of 15 to 30 or more, usually with related members led by a female. Elephants commonly feed in the morning, evening, and at night. They rest during the middle of the day.

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