The Organ of Jacobson
THE ORGAN OF JACOBSON The organ of Jacobson or vomeronasal gland is an almost forgotten body part. It is a sense organ with the ability to detect chemical signals. In humans, the external evidence consists of a pair of tiny pits, one on either side of the nasal septum, approximately 3mm above the nostril. In […]
Teeth & Tusks
THE TEETH & TUSKS Elephants are best known by many people in the world for their teeth. It is because of the human lust for ivory that thousands of elephants are being slaughtered for their teeth. Ivory is really only dentine and is no different from ordinary teeth. It is the diamond-shaped pattern of the […]
Trunk & Respiratory System
THE TRUNK The trunk is formed by a combination of the nose, upper lip and certain facial muscles. There are no bones in the trunk. The two nostril tubes are surrounded by approximately 60 000 muscle ‘units’, divided into 6 major muscle groups, which are responsible for the dexterity and fine movement of the trunk, […]
Legs, Feet & Skin
THE LEGS & FEET An elephant’s legs are great straight pillars, in order to support its bulk. These straight legs mean that less muscular power is required to stand; and an elephant may stand for long periods of time without tiring. Most people are very surprised as to how silently an elephant can move through […]
Brain, Eyes & Ears
THE BRAIN The brain can weigh 4.5 – 5 kg – larger than any other land mammal and only twice smaller than the brain of whales, which weigh 20 x more than elephants. A wide variety of behaviour, including grief, play, use of tools, compassion, self-awareness and the best memory in the entire animal kingdom […]
Skeleton & Skull
THE SKELETON The skeleton of the elephant has been greatly influenced by the tremendous mass it must support. Incredibly, it weighs about 16.5 % of the total weight (A cow’s skeleton only weighs about 10 % of total weight). The backbone is the mechanism by which soft tissues are ‘hung’, consisting of sturdy vertebrae with […]
Elephant Anatomy
Elephant Anatomy Elephants are the largest land-dwelling animals. Mature elephants can be up to 6 – 7 m long and 3.5 – 4 m tall at the shoulder. They can weigh up to seven tons. Females are smaller than males (2.6 m, 3 tons). The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1956. […]
