August 12th is world elephant day – a day to celebrate these fascinating creatures, highlight the important role they play in maintaining the balance of fragile ecosystems and raise awareness on the importance of protecting and conserving their populations. Through decades of negative human interactions, the number of these gentle giants has reduced significantly.
Being the largest land mammal on earth, their huge autonomy is a source of serious amazement. Here are five interesting facts about the gentle giants.
- There are three elephant species: The African Savanna, African Forest and Asian.
- The African Savanna elephants are larger animals that roam the plains of sub-Saharan Africa.
- As the name suggests, the African forest elephant dwells in the forests of Central and West Africa.
- The Asian elephants inhabit dry to wet forest and grassland habitats in countries spanning south and southeast Asia.
2. The African elephant is the largest land mammal on earth with distinct ears that can grow up-to 5 feet long, eye lashes that run up to 5 inches long and a trunk – a long nose for smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking and grabbing things.
The African elephants (forest and savanna) have two finger-like features on the end of their trunk while the Asian elephants have only one.
3. Elephants are matriarchal, meaning they live in female led groups. The matriarch is usually the oldest and the largest in the group.
4. Elephants are herbivores and eat roots, grass, fruit and bark. An adult elephant can consume up to 150 kilograms of food in a single day. They roam great distances foraging large quantities of food on their way to sustain their massive bodies.
5. Elephants are known for their incredible memory. Matriarchs remember watering holes, routes and how to navigate the seasons. Their great ability to remember details is a key survival tactic.
