Types
There is two dominate species of elephants: African elephants and Asian elephants. African elephants are slightly larger than Asian elephants. Within the African elephants, there exists two subspecies. They are savannah and forest. Within the Asian elephants, there exist two subspecies. They are the Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumatran, and Borneo. Currently, there are approximately 450,000-700,000 African elephants and 35,000-40,000 Asian elephants. (1)
Size
Elephants have an average height of 5-14 feet. They usually weight between 6,000-15,000 pounds. Most elephants can live up to 70 years. (1)
Habitat
African elephants can be found in the southern portion of Africa, specifically in Gabon, the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. (4)
There is two dominate species of elephants: African elephants and Asian elephants. African elephants are slightly larger than Asian elephants. Within the African elephants, there exists two subspecies. They are savannah and forest. Within the Asian elephants, there exist two subspecies. They are the Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumatran, and Borneo. Currently, there are approximately 450,000-700,000 African elephants and 35,000-40,000 Asian elephants. (1)
Size
Elephants have an average height of 5-14 feet. They usually weight between 6,000-15,000 pounds. Most elephants can live up to 70 years. (1)
Habitat
African elephants can be found in the southern portion of Africa, specifically in Gabon, the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. (4)
Asian elephants can be found mostly in India and Sumatra, although there is a large population in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, and Indonesia. (3)
Elephant Reproduction The average gestation period for elephants is approximately 22 month. This time period is highly dependent on the condition of their habitat. In recent years, scientists projected a climate change in their habitat that could potentially bring in hotter and drier conditions. If this is the case, the survival rate of newborn elephants, also called calves, will decline dramatically. On average, healthy calves weigh between 200-250 pounds. Upon their birth, calves will need to learn how to walk and strengthen their trunks. To learn more about elephant reproduction, refer to the first YouTube video on the right side. Mechanisms for Adaptation A) Fertilization Mechanism Female elephants are capable of reproduction when they are between the ages of 10-18. This is dependent on the population density and nutritional availability. They usually mate with a few male elephants instead of having a permanent partner. Female elephants choose their mate based on strength, dominance, and rank within his herd. This allows the calf to inherent these straights. During mating, the male elephant releases billions of sperms in the female elephant to be fertilized with an egg. Once the sperm and egg are fertilized, it will take about 22 months until the baby is fully developed. Like humans, the fetus receives food from the mother through the placenta throughout the pregnancy. Typically female elephants cannot conceive twins because the baby itself is already so big that she can only carry one at a time. (5) B) Defense Mechanism Elephants have quite an advantage when it comes to defending themselves as well as their family from any attackers. Because they are large animals, most attackers fear them. When elephants encounter an attacker, such as a lion, they will raise their head and trunk and extend out their ears. In addition to this, they will swipe their feet against the ground as if initiating to charge forward or scream in hopes to scare away the attacker. Often, the attacker will target vulnerable baby elephants. In this situation, the parents will place their baby between their legs so the attacker will not be able to reach them. If trying to scare away the attack does not seem to work, the elephants will charge after the attacker while flailing their trunks but not necessarily killing them. In cases when the attacker is aggressive and plan to harm one of their family members, the herd of elephants will kill them by grabbing the attacker with their trunks and silently suffocate them or stabbing it with their sharp tusks. C) Environmental Survival Mechanism One of the biggest problems that elephants face is trying to survive in their habitat as the Earth becomes increasingly hotter and drier. Elephants live in warm areas of Africa and Asia that have a temperature up to 50°C (120°F). Since they are large animals, it is important that they find ways to cool down for normal bodily functions. Elephants do not have sweat glands, which means that if they do not find ways to cool down, there can be a build up of toxins in their body from the sweat. Fortunately, elephants have bald and wrinkled skins that help with cooling. Wrinkled skin increases the surface area and this enables heat to dissipate efficiently. In addition, when elephants bathe in a lake, their wrinkled skin is able to trap the water molecules, which takes longer to evaporate and provides moisture for a longer period of time. Elephants also use their ears as way to fan themselves under hot conditions. Flapping their ears allow their blood temperature to drop about 5°C (10° F). In comparison, African elephants that live in the forest actually have smaller ears than African elephants who live in the savannah since the temperature in the forest is cooler than in the savannah. |
|
Click to set custom HTML