Kruger National Park Game
Information
Elephant Facts
by David Meisel
Latin name: Loxodonta
africana
| Weight:
The average large Elephant
bull reaches a weight of 5.5 tons. Some males can be as heavy as 6.5 tons.
The females average about 3.5 to 4 tons.
Gestation period:
The female is pregnant for
22 months.
Breeding and reproduction:
By 10 years of age both males
and females are sexually mature. The male however, may only have his first
opportunity of mating at the age of 20 to 25 years of age. The female
can give birth to her first calf at 12 years of age. |
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Only the stronger more dominant
bulls get to mate and roughly once a year for about 1 week or as long as
2 or 3 months, the bull goes into a reproductive condition known a musth.
When in musth, the male’s temporal glands start secreting excessive fluid
and there is also a very visible flow of fluid from the genitals, which
has a very prominent /powerful smell. This is all as a result of an increased
level in testosterone.
Bulls in musth actively seek
breeding herds to find potential females to mate with.
After a successful copulation
the female gives birth after a gestation of 22 months. The newborn calf
suckles for 18 months or as long as 2 years.
The reason for such a long
weaning period is because of the many thousands of muscles that they have
in their trunks, making it very difficult for the calf to control.
As the calf learns how to
use its trunk, it will start feeding more off vegetation and become less
dependent on its mother’s milk.
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The female’s on average
give birth every 5 to 7 years.
Social Life:
There are two main types
of herds to be found, breeding herds and bachelor herds.
The breeding herd consists
of predominantly females which are related in some way or another. The
oldest female normally leads the herd and is known as the matriarch. The
matriarch has the most knowledge of the area in which they live. She knows
where to find the best feeding areas as well as water.
Over time a breeding herd
can get quite large with as many as 200 individuals or more. Large herds
will often split with the second oldest female taking charge of the new
herd. The two herds will go separate ways and on occasion will join up
again for short periods.
Young males, at the age 13
years are chased out of the breeding herd by the adults to be on their
own or to join up with other males in the bachelor herds.
Bachelor herds consist of
only males. The size of a bachelor herd changes on a regular basis as the
males come and go as they please.
Competition for dominance
between males is fierce with a definite hierarchy. |
Lifespan & Feeding:
A large Elephant bull will
eat as much a 200 kg of food a day. Only 40% of that is digested as they
have a very weak digestive system. They will eat on average 18 hours a
day.
The age will vary from one
area to the next. In South Africa they normally reach 60-65 years. In Kenya
& Tanzania about 70-75 years. The world record oldest Elephant reached
an age of 86 years.
The reason why there is such
an age difference in the different countries is due to the type of vegetation
that the Elephants are eating. The softer the vegetation is, the longer
the lifespan of the animal.
Excluding the tusks, an Elephant
has 8 teeth in its’ mouth, 4 molars on the top and 4 on the bottom. They
eat on average 18 hours a day so eventually the teeth start cracking and
fall out. A new set of teeth will then replace the old set. An Elephant
goes through 6 sets of teeth in a lifetime and at the age of about 47 years
the last set will push through. Once the last set of teeth have fallen
out Elephant starts rubbing the vegetation between its’ gums to try break
it down. The condition of the animal deteriorates as it can’t chew its’
food properly to get enough nutrition and eventually dies.
| The Elephants in Kenya &
Tanzania feed mainly on grass, which is their favourite food. The grass
is soft on the teeth, so the Elephants last set of teeth last quite a long
time.
The elephants in South Africa
also prefer grass but in the winter period when there less grass to eat
they then start feeding more on leaves, roots and the bark of trees. This
vegetation is a lot harder on the teeth so the last set of teeth don’t
last as long as the Elephants in Kenya/Tanzania.
Elephant's Trunk:
No one knows for 100% how
many muscles there are. I have heard two figures, one of
40 0000 and another of 140
000 muscles. With so many muscles so close together it makes it difficult
to count. What might look like 1 muscle could be a small group of muscles.
So the correct answer would
be "the elephant has thousands of muscles in the trunk". |
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Quick Facts:
- An Elephant is capable
of running at a top speed of 45km/hour.
- The African Elephant's
closest relative is the Dassie (Hyrax)
- The collective name for
elephant is a parade or memory of elephants.
- A Mature elephant bull
produces on average 120 kg of dung every day!!
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About the Author - I am an
ex-game ranger from South Africa. I have 2 awesome blogs packed with information
on all sorts of wildlife in Africa. I also talk about encounters with dangerous
game while doing bush walks. Visit my Blogs to find out more: www.safari-stories.blogspot.com
and www.southafrican-wildlife.blogspot.com |
