African Elephant
loxodonta africana
JANUARY-birthday
Today is a very special day because today is my birthday. Ive been waiting a good two years to see my mom and i know she was dying to see me too. As soon as i came out of the womb all the ladies in the herd started helping me get the sticky fluids out of my eyes and body and thank god because i wanted to be clean and stand up. My legs were a little shaky at first but my mom helped me and even walked along with me side by side. I love my mom already and i dont want to leave her side. Once i got the hang of walking i started to notice a lot of ladies around me, close to where i was standing and a few feet away from me too. These were the same ladies that got the sticky goo out of my eyes. My mom explained that they were her sisters, all daughters of the same elephant called the matriarch and that all together we were a herd. My grandma (matriarch) is the oldest and the leader based on what i observed. I kept walking with my mom and noticed we were on very dry land.Turns out i was born in winter and everything here in the grassland is dry. My mother gets to eat dry grass, tree leaves, bark, shrubs, and vines. I get to enjoy my wonderful mothers warm milk.
FEBRUARY- The herd (all of the ladies)
my birthday last month was very exciting. I got to meet my mother and the rest of the herd. Since then i have spent a lot of time with the other baby elephants and their moms. Everyone takes care of me here not just my mom and our family is united and strong. My dad and the rest of the males are not present because they each become independent or create a herd of their own. Either way im happy ill get to stay with my mom because im a girl and yes i forgot to mention that my name is Rosie. My mom picked it with the help of all the other ladies who i cant remember their name. Someday i will have a baby of my own and be the next matriarch. its so exiting to think about being the wise old lady who has the most knowledge due to experience. My brain would have fully developed by then haha these are just thoughts i have to keep me entertained since im always being protected by my family.
MARCH bored
The dry season is clearing up but my mom says it will take another month or two to dissappear. The climate feels cool but not cold and i havent seen sign of snow so i guess it doesnt snow here. The only things that happen is that the leaves and shrubs dry and die so they call it a dry season. Im looking forward for the wet season as my mom calls it because then we wouldnt have to walk as much as we do now to look for food and water. My mom is huge and she eats a lot so we have to find a lot of food and a lot of water for all the ladies including my mom. The day is always calm but boring since we dont do anything besides walk. I bet the wet season will make everything more fun :)
APRIL Interesting discovery
All the dryness is almost gone and that makes me happy. there seems to be more water since it fell from the sky last time. my mom did this really cool thing where she put her foot on the soil and pressed down and like magic water came pourring out. Everyone was thrilled.
MAY- everything is changing
Its here its finally here!!! the wet season begins. Everything looks so different. There are flowers and green grass and fruit on the trees and everyone seems so happy. I like this time of the year and sometimes i wish i was born at this time. Its also very hot and humid but i dont mind. My mom says that if it werent for the zebras and the giraffes that we would actually have more food but since they live where we live that we have to share our food. They mind their own bussiness and we dont bother them either. Actually they are quite nice. What we have to worry about are the lions and tigers that want to eat me. My mom told me that at night they seek out baby elephants who were bad during the day and eat them. Thank god i behave haha
JUNE- Close encounter
I have a terrible story to tell you. My mother usually takes naps during the day because of the hot weather but theres always one of the ladies taking care of me. However, at night everyone sleeps either standing up or laying down. Point is that they make a circle around us, the baby elephants. My mother told me never to wander of because it could be dangerous but i wasnt buying the danger she was trying to describe so i decided to get up and look around.....when suddenly a giant monster creeps out of the night and starts chasing me. i was terrified and i yelled for my mom but the creature (lion) kept chasing me. i had no idea what was happening and i felt weak and lonely and i didnt know what would happen next. All of a sudden the herd awakens and take me into their protective circle that the lion couldnt penetrate. My mother is too big and strong for the lion to fight with but im not and i was so scared. My mom is the best and i will never leave her side.
JULY confused
Last months was very scary since a lion tried to eat me and since then ive learned a lot. Fist of all, i should have listened to my mom because she was right. Second, i was so confused as to why they wanted to eat me. I would never eat anyone else but they were. my mom explained that they eat meat meaning it could be me or the zebras or the giraffes or the cute fuzzy things that i sometimes see running around. I couldnt believe that they could actually eat other animals. MY mothers milk and her warmth is good enough for me and when i grow up i want to be just like my mommy and eat the grass and leaves that we find where we live. I dont want to eat anyone and i especially dont want anyone to eat me
AUGUST Epic battle
Everything that happens around me is so interesting. Im always in the mood to learn. Because of the wet season we dont have to walk and walk to find water. A lake with lots of water forms and everyone gets to drink from that. My family doesnt mind sharing the water since their is enough for eveyone but there are a few others who use the lake to their advantage. They are called crocodiles and they live in the water and never want to share. They are mean and nasty and just like the lions, they dont like me. While my mom and i were drinking water everyone suddenly runs away and i was scared then out of nowhere this huge crocodile jumps out of the water and grabs my moms trunk. I hid behind her while she shook violently to get him off her trunk but he would not let go. My mom kept trying until finally she broke free and slammed her trunk into the the crocs head until he left us alone. Once again my mom is my hero.
SEPTEMBER
Its been 9 months and i still cant use my trunk. Its going to take a while for me to learn how to use it and it really sucks because i want to grow up so i can be just like my mom and the rest of the herd. The other baby elephants are starting to use theirs and i want to use it too. My mom and the rest of her sisters use their trunk to drink water and pull leaves and branches to eat them. Mommy said my trunk will help me with everyday life such as taking a shower, eating, and drinking water. She also explained that we have trunks because we eat plants when i questioned her about why the lions didnt have them. Another cool thing about my mom is that she has huge teeth that are called tusks and she uses them to defend me when other animals try to eat me. And since im showing off my mom i cant forget to say tht i love her ears. they are shaped like the place we live and they provide cool air when times get really hot. Well enough about my mom, i know i will grow up to be just like her
OCTOBER its getting colder
Summer is almost over and its getting cool again . The leaves are drying and i dont want our home to change again. I really dont like walking and walking for hours to find food. Im scared that one day ill get lost and loose my mom forever. During the dry season we spend all day looking for food because we get really hungry and need to eat a lot. During the wet season the food was there so we got to relax drink water and take showers to cool off. Nothing like summer
NOVEMBER
Dry season is here. Ill go find my mom so we can start our journey looking for food and especially water since none has fallen from the sky. ill write bout what we found later even thought its going to be along the lines of food, water or lions trying to eat us.
DECEMBER-about me
Hey its me and im still a little baby. I dont grow as fast as other animals and i havent done much progress in a year. My trunk is still hard to use and i still depend on my mom for pretty much everything. The good thing is that i will grow up to be 70 yeas old like my grandma but i still have a long way to go. Its almost my birthday again and i hope that in 5 birthdays my nurturing will stop. My brain is far from being fully developed yet but i have learned so much this past year. There is so much to observe and to remember. i have a long life to live and i cant wait to get started.