Check out these fantastic elephant facts…
Update: There are now 3 species of elephant. Until very recently the African elephant was thought of as a single species but further genetic studies revealed that the savanna and forest elephants are in fact different!
More Facts About Elephants
- They have the biggest brain of any land animal and their head can weigh as much as a car!
- The food they eat (grass, twigs, leaves) isn’t very nutritious. So they have to eat for 19 hours per day!
- An elephant pregnancy lasts for 22 months (almost 2 years!!!). The longest gestation period of any mammal.
- Their tusks grow 7 centimetres a year and can be 3 metres long.
- Elephants are either left or right-tusked and the one they use more is usually smaller because of wear and tear.
- The Asian elephant has four toes on the hind foot and five on the forefoot.
- The African elephant has three toes on the hind foot and five on the forefoot.
What Do The Poachers Want With The Elephant Tusks Anyway?
Elephant tusks are modified incisor teeth. Some people like to carve them into ornaments and jewellery.
Would you want to wear a necklace made out of teeth?
Yuck!
Where Do Elephants Live?
In 2021 there are approximately 415,000 African elephants left.
In 2016 the Great Elephant Census (the largest ever Africa-wide elephant survey) took place. The census revealed that there were 352,271 African elephants left. Comparing these results to previous surveys it is estimated that the population is falling at 8% per year – which equates to 27,000 elephants being slaughtered each year.
There are even less Asian elephants with current numbers being 40,000-50,000.
Check out The POWEs And The Disappearing Tusks - in this exciting adventure the POWEs help save rhinos and elephants from poachers by coming up with an ingenious plan. A percentage of the profits from the sale of this book goes directly to the wildlife charities that are working to protect rhinos and elephants.