Basic Facts About Elephants
Habitat loss is one of the key threats facing elephants.
Many climate change projections indicate that key portions of elephants’
habitat will become significantly hotter and drier, resulting in poorer
foraging conditions and threatening calf survival. Increasing conflict with
human populations taking over more and more elephant habitat and poaching for
ivory are additional threats that are placing the elephant’s future at risk.
Defenders of Wildlife is working through the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to maintain a ban on the sale
of ivory as well as on regulations that govern worldwide elephant protection.
Of the two species, African elephants are divided into two
subspecies (savannah and forest), while the Asian elephant is divided into four
subspecies (Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumatran and Borneo). Asian elephants have been
very important to Asian culture for thousands of years – they have been
domesticated and are used for religious festivals, transportation and to move
heavy objects.
Diet
Staples: Grasses, leaves, bamboo, bark, roots. Elephants are
also known to eat crops like banana and sugarcane which are grown by farmers.
Adult elephants eat 136-180 kgs of food per day.
Population
At the turn of the 20th century, there were a few million
African elephants and about 100,000 Asian elephants. Today, there are an
estimated 450,000 - 700,000 African elephants and between 35,000 - 40,000 wild
Asian elephants.
Range
African savannah elephants are found in savannah zones in 37
countries south of the Sahara Desert. African forest elephants inhabit the
dense rainforests of west and central Africa. The Asian elephant is found in
India, Sri Lanka, China and much of Southeast Asia.
Behavior expeditions
Elephants form deep family bonds and live in tight
matriarchal family groups of related females called a herd. The herd is led by
the oldest and often largest female in the herd, called a matriarch. Herds
consist of 8-100 individuals depending on terrain and family size. When a calf
is born, it is raised and protected by the whole matriarchal herd. Males leave
the family unit between the ages of 12-15 and may lead solitary lives or live
temporarily with other males.
Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and have
memories that span many years. It is this memory that serves matriarchs well
during dry seasons when they need to guide their herds, sometimes for tens of
miles, to watering holes that they remember from the past. They also display
signs of grief, joy, anger and play.
Recent discoveries have shown that elephants can communicate
over long distances by producing a sub-sonic rumble that can travel over the
ground faster than sound through air. Other elephants receive the messages
through the sensitive skin on their feet and trunks. It is believed that this
is how potential mates and social groups communicate.
Reproduction
Mating Season: Mostly during the rainy season.
Gestation: 22 months.
Litter size: 1 calf (twins rare).
Calves weigh between 90-115 Kgs at birth. At birth, a calf's
trunk has no muscle tone, therefore it will suckle through its mouth. It takes
several months for a calf to gain full control of its trunk.
Elephant Safaris. Want an elephant experience? Jewel Safaris Uganda is here to give you a memorable elephant tracking experience in Uganda. The best places to see elephants in Uganda include Kibale Forest-Rwenzori Mountains Foothills, Mgahinga Gorilla Park, Semliki Park, Mount Elgon, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth Park.
visit jewelsafaris.com for elephant safari itenerary
No comments:
Post a Comment