Elephants
By: Shelby Hatlestad
Elephant facts
Elephants have a specific cycle of life, and a unique type of communication that can protect them for certain threats. . They have evolved from the historical mammoth to the creature they are today. “There is no definite breeding season for elephants. Gestation takes between18-22 months in the female Indian elephant, and about 21 months in African female elephants, culminating in the birth of one or (very rarely) two offspring” (“Elephant” 1).“The amount of fodder needed per 18 hours to keep an elephant healthy is 800 to 1,000 pounds of food and 20 to 40 gallons of water a day” (“Elephant” 1).
Moeritherium
The first recognized animal as a distant relative of elephants was Moeritherium. It lived in Africa from 35 to 50 million years ago, and it was the size of a pig. It was most likely a stocky animal with sturdy elephant legs.
Mammoth to Elephant
Elephants have evolved from the historical mammoth to the creature they are today. There is many different transformations that have lived and died to have created the Elephant that roams the wilderness today.
Evolution of elephants
Elephants have evolved in many different kinds and sizes of different creatures over the years. They used to be small animals and now the original elephant is now taller then the original mammoth that once roamed this earth.
Elephant Communication
The different types of communication that make elephants unique are its physical communication, its auditory communication, and sensual communication. “Elephants use body language to help communicate a range of emotions and information” (“Elephant” 3). “Elephants’ lack of good hearing and eye-sight is compensated for by keen senses of smell, taste, and touch” (“Elephant” 3). “Elephants use some sounds that use a frequency range of 14 to 24 hertz, which is too low for humans to hear” (“Elephant” 1).
Trunk Communication
When elephants meet or reunite they rub their trunks on/to each other to show that they care/love about each other. They use different types of trunk touches to explain what to do in certain situations.
Mother and baby
Mother elephants grab onto their offspring's trunk to help them walk when they are first born, and to guide them around whenever they travel to find new resources. The baby elephant knows to stay by its mothers side to keep safe when moving around.
Warning Signs
"Elephants life their trunks up when they yell to warn its family and its predator to watch out" (Elephant" 3). "They keep their head held high and step back with their back legs to be taller to show the predator that they are not afraid so the predator backs away" ("Elephant" 3).