Reproduction
REPRODUCTION The male’s penis is encased in a sheath but is released for urinating and mating – and the huge size leads to it often being referred to as a ‘fifth leg’! The female’s vaginal opening is located between her hind limbs, not under the tail as in many species. Her mammary glands are located […]
Communication
COMMUNICATION Elephants are extremely intelligent. They are able to adapt to new conditions, react to human interference and human presence. The high level of intelligence can also be seen in the degree of social interaction and contact you see between individuals, the subtle nature of their communication and the generally close-knit structure of the elephant […]
Diet
DIET Elephants are herbivorous, eating roots, grasses, leaves, fruit, and bark. Because of their huge size and low digestibility of the food they eat, elephants spend most of their time eating – up to 75 % of their day. Bulls can eat up to 130-260 kg of food each day, depending on their size and […]
Social Behaviour
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR Elephants live in female family groups (8-10 animals), which are made up of the matriarch (usually the oldest female), related females and their offspring. The matriarch is responsible for the safety of the herd and for finding enough food and water, based on many years of past experience and knowledge. The males stay […]
