Big Five Education #2: The Mighty Elephant (Including a Quiz)

The Mighty Elephant - earth’s largest land mammal is the first of the Big Five animals on the list. These gentle giants have many myths and old wives tales surrounding their history here on earth. In most African fables, the Elephant is depicted as being the wise and impartial chief amongst the rest of the animals. Elephants also play a large roll in the Hindu religion where a number of Gods’ head’s, take on the form of an elephants head.

Facts about Elephants

1. There are 3 recognized species of Elephants: The African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant.
2. Elephants are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. They eat grasses, leaves, bark and some fruit.
3. Elephants can be found in sub-saharan Africa, South Asia and south-east Asia.
4. Elephants are able to hear at very low frequencies (frequencies that humans cannot hear) and can communicate with each other over long distances.
5. They use their ears to help them cool their body temperature down. Their ears are lined with thousands of blood capillaries close to the skin’s surface. These capillaries carry warm blood close to the surface of the skin which gets cooled when the elephant flaps its ears.
6. An elephant’s trunk is actually its nose and upper lip combined. The trunk is their most useful tool. They use it for smelling, touching, grasping, breathing and communicating.
7. Elephant family groups consist mostly of females and their young, lead by a matriarch. As male elephants mature, they begin separating from the group and live alone or with other males.
8. The gestation of an elephant typically lasts for 2 years with 4 to 5 years between each baby.
9. Elephants have been listed as vulnerable by the IUCN due to over poaching for their ivory tusks, meat and hide.

So now you have read a little bit about Elephants, but have you learned anything? Try out the quick quiz below.

Quiz

1. How many recognized species of elephants are there, and what are they called?
2. Where in the world can you find elephants in the wild?
3. Name one of the ways in which an elephant cools them self down.
4. List 3 things that an elephant uses its trunk for.
5. How long is the gestation period of an elephant?