Interesting facts about elephants

From the point of view of the biology of mammoths and there are elephants – representatives of the families of the trade (Elephantidae). The harsh evolution discarded most of the species, and to this day they lived only three: two African elephants (Savan and Forest) and one Asian. Moreover, African during the Mammoths already existed, only he calmly walked himself in the region of the Equator, while the Mammoths lived much north, so they could not meet anywhere. Surprisingly Other: At the same time, Mastodonts existed! But only in one place. Generally, the Mastodonts extinct approximately 3.5 million years ago. But in North America, for incomprehensible even for biologists, the reasons, one of the branches remained almost to the Golocene and coexisted in time with the Mammont. In any case, today’s findings are overlapped in space. It was not so long ago, about 10,000 years ago. Although there is information that the last mastodont disappeared from the face of the earth even later – about 3000 years ago, when some of the ancient peoples already existed writing! (On how the remains of prehistoric animals are found and what they are doing next to them further, read in an interview with Dinosaur Seeker from Peru "My Planet").

Elephants – no pets

If people had bred elephants, like, say, cows or horses, it would certainly have brought the breed: White Ceylon Elephant or Burmese heavy truck. But sometimes elephants tame. Mostly Indian, as African is larger and the character of them is not so good. Once these huge and intelligent animals replaced the residents of Southeast Asia peace tractors and combat tanks (Alexander Macedonsky was first faced with them in the era of his famous Indian campaign), during the First World War in Europe, which remained without horses and cows, on elephants Patheli, and today are used to roll tourists. Relations of people and elephants are dedicated to this small photo project.

Elephants are able to talk

Scientists have allocated more than 70 different sounds that have some obvious values, and, apparently, this is not the limit. Since frequent communication is in the infrasound range (outside of human perception), the studies have become possible only with the advent of special equipment. Infrasounds are dealt with very large distances, so elephants can calmly "talk" with each other, being a few kilometers away. There is even a translator of speech elephants on the human language. It is curious that the elephants are trimmed not only in order to communicate with each other, but also to express emotions, for example, sorrow. Elephants are the only animals that bury their loved ones: throw the body of the deceased fellow earth and branches, and then together raise the trunks and chorus. We even have a video like this happens. Very touching, albeit a hard moment. Perhaps it was from this tradition another – Buddhist. Read more – in our photo project "Last Elephant Path".

The life of the elephant depends on the teeth

Elephants – Vegetarians. Their stomach takes a switched in porridge vegetation: grass and small shrub in African savanna and leaves and branches of trees, roots and fruits in tropical Asia. In the zoos elephants, birch brooms will eat with pleasure (the very stuffed in the bath), and after the new year they chew their Christmas trees, the needles of which are very rich in vitamins.

To abandon all this properly, nature has come up with changing teeth for elephant. Total 24 pieces. The first pair consisting of four plate teeth is dropped up to a year, subsequent appear also by parties four (two above and two below) as they abrasion. They elephant moves not to the right or left as a cow or camel, but in its own way – back and forth. In old age, the teeth cease to be renewed, and the elderly animal is doomed to painful death from hunger, because the careful youth cannot chew for it, as it was headed in primitive human tribes.

Lefty elephant or right-hander, can be determined by the animation

Ivory – not at all bone. It’s teeth, cutters without roots and enamels consisting of solid dentin. They grow all their lives. If the elephant did not use them constantly, did not steal them and broke them, then theoretically, the beer could reach the six-meter length (which, of course, does not happen). The Asian tissue elephants are available only in males, and they are relatively small – to a half-meter long and 20-25 kg weighing with the total animal weight in 5 t. And it is curious that the south of the populations of Indian elephants live, the thinner and the sharper of their appearance. The African Elephant Beeve has much larger: more than 2 m. And they are not only in males, but also in females. By how the todves are broken, you can determine how the elephant is predominantly useful, that is, left-handed it or right-hander. Why are some people (and animals) right-handed, and others – left-handers and is it important in this genetics, "my planet" wrote earlier.

Elephant trunk – not just nose

The trunk is driven by tens of thousands of muscles and muscle beams. With it, elephant finds food. Without him an elephant would be very difficult to drink water, because he works like a hose. And also – like a diver tube. Being completely under water, the animal can breathe, putting out only the tip of the trunk. In addition, the elephant trunk is also hand – without any quotes. Trunk can do absolutely everything, even "fingers" on it! African elephants have two: without bones and without joints, but very movable. Asian – one. But this is enough. With their help, elephants can raise the coin from the ground, can rush to give a lion to some. Can also draw. This is a building tool, and combat, and communicative. With the child communicate with a trunk. With the oncoming elephants greets with the help of a trunk, the mood express them. Short him very much. At night, go and fad a trunk, imagine?

Elephants remained little. In Africa – about 600,000 individuals, in Asia – only 30,000. Because the elephants slowly multiply. The female gives birth just three or four times in his life, the pregnancy lasts as many as two years (!), and the elephant sucks maternal milk for five years and becomes halm on no sooner than in 12-15 years. Let’s take care of elephants!