Elephant, Essay Example

There are two species of elephants remaining in the world which are African Elephants and Asian Elephants. African Elephants are the largest land animals and their distinguishing feature is larger ears as compared to their Asian cousins. Elephant’s ears help them stay cool in hot temperatures and elephants also spray themselves with water and dust through their trunks to guard against the heat. Elephant’s trunk also assists with other functions such as smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, and grabbing things. Elephants eat roots, grasses, fruits, and bark and cover great distances while feeding on huge quantities of food. The elephants’ huge need for food is also due to their massive size (National Geographic). Adults elephants consume about 300 to 400 lbs of food per day (Defenders of Wildlife). Elephants can drink up to 15 quarts of water at a time and spend up to 16 hours a day looking for food. The mothers feed milk to their babies for about four years and the babies can start consuming plants about one year of age. (Elephant-World).

Elephants range in color from light to dark grey. They are also known for their intelligent memory. Elephants usually live in herds and enjoy strong family bond. The family is headed by a female and males usually leave the herd at about age 14 to join a male herd or venture on their own (Elephant-World). Elephants communicate through both verbal and non-verbal methods. Elephants trumpet at different frequencies, depending upon the message they wish to convey. Their non-verbal communication methods include wrapping their trunks around loved ones and they also show affection by rubbing their bodies against each other (Elephant-World).

Even though elephants are strong but weak ones could become the target of predators such as lions, tigers, and crocodiles. But elephants protect themselves by staying in herds and large elephants are strong enough to protect themselves on their own, too. The greatest enemy of elephants may be human themselves who hunt them for their tusks which is made of ivory and is in high demand in certain parts of the world (Elephant-World).

Elephants are also able to express emotions, just like humans. They are able to cry like humans and some of the most emotional moments for them include the birth of a baby and the death of a family member. If a mother dies, the family members often step in to take care of the baby. They also enjoy playing with each other and become very protective of each other if they sense signs of danger. Elephants have strong memories and can remember members of their herd even after long times (Elephant-World).

The population of elephants has significantly declined over the last century. The elephant population is believed to have been a few million in Africa and 100,000 in Asia at the beginning of the 20^th century but now only 450,000-700,000 remain in Africa and 35,000-40,000 remain in Asia (Defenders of Wildlife). In the past 25 years alone, the elephant population is believed to have been dropped by two-third. In addition to hunting, the population has also declined due to destruction of their natural habitat. Thus, serious steps need to be taken to halt the further decline of this beautiful and peace-loving creature (Elephant-World).

References

Defenders of Wildlife. Basic Facts About Elephants. 15 April 2012 <http://www.defenders.org/elephant/basic-facts>.

Elephant-World. Elephant Communication. 15 April 2012 <http://www.elephant-world.com/elephant-communication.html>.

—. Elephant Conservation Efforts. 15 April 2012 <http://www.elephant-world.com/elephant-conservation-efforts.html>.

—. Elephant Facts. 15 April 2012 <http://www.elephant-world.com/>.

—. Elephant Predators. 15 April 2012 <http://www.elephant-world.com/elephant-predators.html>.

—. Elephant Social Structure. 15 April 2012 <http://www.elephant-world.com/elephant-social-structure.html>.

—. What do Elephants Eat? 15 April 2012 <http://www.elephant-world.com/elephant-feeding.html>.

National Geographic. African Elephant. 15 April 2012 <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/african-elephant/>.