World Elephant Day: Fun facts about the largest land mammal
Addressing the elephant in the room! For generations, people have been captivated by the unique physique and intelligence of these gentle giants from Asia and Africa. August 12 marks World Elephant Day, a dedicated effort to conserve and safeguard these magnificent creatures. Here are some fun trivia about this majestic animal that you may not have known.
Elephants eat constantly
Elephants eat grass, leaves, shrubs, fruits, and roots depending on the season and their habitat. They can eat continuously for up to 16 hours each day! They need to eat up to 150kg of food per day although half of this may leave the body undigested. Elephants consume so much food that they may dedicate up to 75% of the day to eating.
Elephants use vibrations to speak
Elephants can express themselves through trumpet cries, touch, nonverbal cues, and scent. However, they also communicate over long distances in low-pitched sounds which humans can barely hear. Other elephants can sense these sounds via their bones and feet because elephants cause infrasonic rumbles in the atmosphere and seismic tremors on the ground. These messages have a maximum range of two miles.
Their trunk is multi-purposed
The elephant's trunk has several uses, including those of a nose, teeth, hand, extra foot, signaling device, a tool for acquiring food, water siphon, dusting, excavating, and more. Elephants' trunks are very sensitive and have about 150,000 muscle cells. They drink by sucking up water with their trunks, which may hold up to eight liters of water.
Elephants are led by a matriarch
Interestingly, elephant herds are headed by a matriarch. Typically, the matriarch is the oldest and biggest woman. She oversees a female herd that spans several generations. Male elephants, meanwhile, frequently forage alone or band together in tiny bachelor groups. Although these guys tend to spend more time alone as they age, they may occasionally follow the female herds.
Elephants are left- or right-tusked
Elephants can favor their left or right tusk, just like humans can be either left- or right-handed. One tusk will typically be smaller and show more wear and tear than the other, indicating which one they prefer. Their tusks are very vital to them because they utilize them to protect themselves, move and raise objects, remove tree bark, and gather food.
