Amazing Facts » Amazing Facts About Elephants

Elephants are the most favorite animals for many! Read about some interesting facts about elephant!

• Elephant is the largest mammal in the land.
• The average life span of an elephant is 70 years.
• There are two types of elephants – Asian and African
• An African male elephants hold the record as the largest elephant in the world. It was 13 feet tall and weighed 24000 pounds!
• The average weight of an elephant’s heart is around 40 pounds.
• Elephants have sharp and well-developed brains. It is four times bigger than a human brain. However, when compared with the size of the brain in proportion to the size of the body, the brain remains very small. And they are very intelligent with sharp memory.
• Just like the tiny eyes, the vision is not so powerful in elephants. They have poor sight, yet incredible smelling power. Elephants are highly capable of identifying other animals, objects and even human beings with this amazing sense.
• A baby elephant, called as calf weighs around 230 lbs at birth.
• The pregnancy period of an elephant is around 22 to 24 months. A female elephant can give birth to 4 elephants in her lifetime.
• Just like right-handed or left handed people, Elephants use their one side of the tusks more often, which makes a difference in them. Simply, if the elephant uses right tusk often, it is a right tusked (handed!) one and vice versa.
• Tusks are nothing but the incisor teeth of an elephant. They are used as a safety guard, used to life things and even dig water. They are an expensive object.
• Trunk of an elephant is the most distinguished part of this animal. Elephants wave the trunk up and down, right and left to smell better. The trunk contains 40000 muscles!
• Elephants use the trunk to pickup things. It has sensitive parts which enables elephant to identify shape, size and temperature of the objects. Elephants can even pick a thin needle from the floor with trunk.
• Elephants can swim! The trunk is used for balance as well as for breathing. However, elephants are the only animals that cannot jump!
  

Elephants are fascinating animals loved by everyone. Here are some more amazing facts about elephants, probably the lesser known facts about elephants.

Elephants are very sensitive!

Yes, the mammoths are very sensitive, more sensitive than human beings. They cry, laugh, express their emotions, hide and vent their anger, etc. Recently, a baby elephant was died due to some disease and all the elephants in that crew just surrounded the baby elephant shed and expressed their sorrow.

They care a lot and live in group like families. That is why people say elephants in groups are harmless and encountering a single elephant is dangerous.

Lawrence Anthony was an Elephant Whisperer. His death was mourned by a herd of elephants. The elephants arrived at his home to mourn his death.

Elephants’ foot padding

Elephants’ foot is naturally covered with a smooth and soft padding. This padding enables elephants to balance their weight, walk with ease in various surfaces. Also, it prevents them slipping on surfaces. When elephants walk, they don’t hear their walking sound because of this soft padding.

Skin of elephants

Elephants’ skin is about 2-3 cm thick; however, they are exposed with the risk of sun burning. To protect themselves from sunburns, they cover them with sand. The elephants will throw sand on their head, body and back often as a protective act.

Elephant ears

The ears are another unique physical feature that distinguishes elephants! The large and airy ears are used to maintain their body temperature. The ears are made of thin and think blood vessels. Elephants flap the ears to minimize the heat. Elephants live in hot climates tend to have large ears. Say, African Bush Elephants live in the hottest areas and they have larger ears.

How elephants talk with each other?

Just like human beings, every kind of animal has their own language to talk with others. Elephants talk with others in the crew by making unique sounds. It is called Tummy Rumbles! 

Quick interesting facts about elephants:

• Did you know, elephants are scared of bees!
• Elephants are largest and heaviest land animal. This would be a great surprise! A blue whale’s tongue weigh’s more than an adult elephant!
• Elephant can easily smell the availability of water 3 kms away! Also, the huge and lengthy trunk can hold up to 2 gallons of water!