Fun Facts about Elephants

Ele phant = arch great
Largest land mammal
3 species:
African savanna, Loxodonta africana
African forest, Africana cyclotis
Asian, Elephas maximus
In 37 countries in Africa, 13 in Asia
1.3 mill. in Africa '79
400-600,000 today
Extremely adaptable
Daily food intake 4-7% of bodyweight
Trunk, a fusion of upper lip and elongated nose weights up to 140 kg, can pick up a straw, push over a huge tree, tenderly touch family members, pour 12 litres of water into its mouth, detect scents over several kilometres
Ivory tusks - elongated incisors- have been coveted by humans for tens of thousands of years and have had lasting impact on art and culture
Skin is up to 2.5 cm thick in places
Brain weighs 4-6 kg
Life span between 60 and 70 years
Females can give birth to up to 12 offspring
You can learn some more about why elephants are unique here.

About Savanna elephants:
Height: Up to 4.1 meters
Weight: Males up to 7 tonnes, females up to 3.5 tonnes
Both sexes have tusks, weight up to 100 kg pr tusk on males
By age 50, average tusk weight for males 49 kg; for females 7 kg
Can walk up to 195 km pr day (average 25 km)
Eats grass, herbs, fruit, bark and tree foliage
Home range highly variable
Gestation period 21.5 months
Elephants once populated the whole of Africa