All Things Elephant

Elephant Catalogue 

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Sorry to change the subject but I just remembered that last night I was watching a program that said elephants can nurse for up to 10 years.  I thought that was pretty interesting so figured I would share:)

that is  intersting about the elephants  i thought  two years was all they nursed -  learn somthing new every day   thanks

I know I was surprised to hear that myself, 10 years, they must be huge by then!  They do take a looong time to mature though so i guess it kind of makes sense!  Poor moms must be tired:)

A newborn calf suckles for only a few minutes at a time but many times per day, consuming up to 11 litres (3 U.S. gallons) of milk in a single day. A calf may nurse for up to 2 years or more. Complete weaning depends on the disposition of the mother, the amount of available milk, and the arrival of another calf

i wonder what the reason is   that elephant  nursed for   so long 

is thier a site on  it ??

Thanks Janine, that's the one.

It was on the Discovery Channel at some point, about Africa elephants having a lengthier than usual weaning period, but, I don't recall it being as long as ten years.

Weaning is a year to two years, but, there are some who went as long as five years.

The baby is born nearly blind and at first relies, almost completely, on its trunk to discover the world around it.

looks like somthing else  i just learned about  elephants

I dont know if my last reply posted or not so sorry if it did.  I only saw a bit of the show I think it was called Wildlife Chronicles on PBS and they said the baby ellies aren't fully weaned for up to 10 years.  That is a great explanation of why that you posted. So I guess they aren't nursing full time but still some of the time.

They also cant control their trunks when they're first born. They have to learn how to use it. It's so cute watching a new born trying to 'work' it! lol

KMello wrote:

Anyone else have a fast fact?  I just had a little episode at work and need something to get my mind off it!

A relatively simple (although not always reliable) way of sexing elephants is to look at their backs. In a male the lumbar region is raised making their backs look like there is a dip in the middle, where as in a female the lumbar region is fairly level, giving the back a more flat appearance.

KMello wrote:

Anyone else have a fast fact?  I just had a little episode at work and need something to get my mind off it!

Elephants can also snore and make vocalisations during their sleep!!!

 one elephant was reported to be able to fly

LMAO!! And that was the cutest elephant as well as most famous ellie ever!!

 elephants can hear with their feet.

 elephants could make a very low frequency sound that humans can’t hear

Mlaika is a 10-year-old adolescent female African elephant living in Kenya in a group of semi-captive elephants. During the day she makes sounds you might expect.

But she moonlights as a truck.

"When she is with the other elephants, she makes normal elephant sounds," says Stephanie Watwood of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. "But at night, when she is by herself, she can hear the trucks from a nearby highway and imitates their sounds."

Mlaika is one of two African elephants scientists have found making strange sounds. The other one chirps

The word 'musth', which is the physiological condition in male elephants which raises testosterone levels and can make them aggressive, originates from the Hindi word meaning 'mischievous'

Elephants can go several days without water.
A large bull may drink up to 100 litres at a time and up to 227 litres a day...

An elephant has six sets of teeth in his lifetime, usually he will die when he is old because the last set of teeth have worn down and he can no longer eat.

are they really afraid of  mice  ??

QUESTION from the class. in the paragraph, ' when she is with other elephants, she makes normal sounds', what are normal elephant sounds.

Thank you

The kids

I'm loving this! Everybody has different facts so when we put them all together it is great to see!

The mammaries of an elephant are between the front legs, this is because the birth canal has to be as low as possible to prevent or minimise injury to the baby when giving birth. Therefore the female genitalia is not under the tail as in most animals but in the same area as the males penis, making identification by this means quite difficult.

You mean they then die from hunger......?

This is terrible. We never knew this or even heard of this before. We assumed they just died of old age..

Many times we have seen the male elephants walking around with ( five legs...:)  Why do they do that and why for so long?

Hi Kids

Normal elephant sounds are low frequency rumbles.  Almost like your tummy rumbling when it is hungry.

and 37 war elephants  -Hannibal Crosses the Alps

spring of 218 BC,

Is it true that man can not hear that rumble? If so why not?

 number of animals produce and use sounds in the infrasonic range. The rumbling vocalizations of elephants were measured to have frequencies as low as 14 Hz which were detectable at a range of 10 km. Observations of elephant behavior suggests that they responded to the waves through the ground before they heard them in the air - plausible since the waves would travel faster in the solid material.

If you take carefull note when you see this,  most of the time the elephant is in must, the signs of full must are leaking from the temporal glands, and frequent urination, especially on the back legs, and they often have their penises out for long periods of time during this time.

'This marvel also have I heard, that the mighty Elephants have a prophetic soul within their breasts…….'

Oppian, Cynegetica, II 529-555

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/elephant/ELPFAQ.html

Frequently asked questions about elephants and infrasound

Hey kids,

This is probably when a male is is musth and is constantly dribbling a very smelly testosterone filled urine. This stains his legs black and advertises his condition to females and also any rivals in the area.

They will also extend it just to warm in the sun as well. The thin skin allows the blood to warm up quickly heating the whole body.