The elephant is in the culture of India very great place, and this is due not only to the fact that he is the largest animal, but also to his intellectual qualities and character traits, and excellent memory elephants are proverbial.
Elephant as a symbol
For India, an elephant is primarily a symbol of wisdom of kindness, it is a very auspicious symbol, therefore, images of elephants can also be found as an element of an organ in temples, in house decorations, loved by tourists - the sandalwood elephant also brings good luck. And of course elephants are depicted on clothes, the elephant motif is one of the favorite ornaments of Indians, you can see it on printed fabrics and in embroidery.
But the elephant is also the personification of strength, power and royalty, it was in this capacity that they were used by the rulers, and for this reason, elephants are often enough depicted in palaces.
Elephants in the life and history of India
Airavata is the progenitor of all elephants in the world, and about his own birth there are 2 legends. The first one says that when the gods and asuras churned the world, 9 jewels began to rise from it, one of which was a white elephant. This origin is also indicated by his name Airavata, which means "son of Iravanti", and "Iravant" means "drink", "ocean" (BL Smirnov's dictionary to the Bhagavad Gita). The second myth says that Airavata and 7 more elephants were born from the shell of the Brahma world egg, and they became the guardians of the 8 cardinal points.
The most famous deity of Hindu mythology associated with elephants is the Hindu god Ganesha, he has the head of an elephant, but please do not believe that Ganesha is an elephant, it is not. Legend has it that little boy Ganesha was guarding his mother's quarters when he came, who did not know about his existence. In general, Shiva cut off the child's head, and when it turned out who was who, I had to urgently put the head of another creature on the body, so they put the head of a little elephant, I laid out a small cartoon on the topic of this myth. Otherwise, Ganesha is a completely anthropomorphic god and he is, among other things, the god of wisdom and knowledge, at his feet he is often depicted
Elephants. Strong, beautiful, mighty giants.
For all the seeming awkwardness and sluggishness, they are very graceful.
In this article I want to tell you about very beautiful and intelligent giants, about Indian elephants.
You will learn about their life in wildlife and next to a person, and a lot of interesting things about these amazing animals.
For more than 4,000 years
, smart and beautiful giants - elephants serve man. Elephants work in logging, participate in wedding ceremonies, in religious processions (remember the article about the holidays in India, chariot riding, the feast of the elephant-faced deity Ganesha?), perform in the circus, and even advertise goods. Elephants in India are very much loved and revered. In some families, elephants live as pets. They are surprisingly caring and very loving of their owner, animals.
In India, there are centers where abandoned and wounded elephants are kept. Here workers and domestic helpers are trained from elephants. This process is quite long. It's not easy to win over a baby elephant, it's still a wild animal. It takes a lot of effort and time to gain the confidence and disposition of the baby elephant. And when this finally happens, the relationship between the elephant and the owner becomes very touching. The kid begins to recognize his master and rush to his call. This is very important, because later the owner will be able to fully trust his ward.
The elephant begins to prepare for work only with 13 years old, and he does not begin work duties earlier 25 years... In India, there is a law that is called to take care of elderly animals, and send them to a well-deserved retirement age 65 years... And elephants live in 70 - 75 years (almost their age is equal to a human). And the drivers, or as they are called in India - MAHOUT, start to work only after training in a three-month course. They are taught how to handle animals correctly, how to give various commands that an elephant learns in 3 - 4 years, and never forgets, as well as how to competently and correctly care for such a huge pet. Just look at what a handsome man. And those smart little eyes are worthy of respect.
It turns out that elephants need daily bathing, and their owners are happy to wash, scrub and polish the thick, but very sensitive skin of their pets with a special stone or coconut shell. And after bathing, elephants are very fond of having breakfast with palm leaves, bamboo, grass or a special thick porridge made from wheat or millet. And after breakfast, the owners spoil their pets with sweet carrots and sugar cane. Domestic elephants are very fond of sweets.
So, on the day the elephant consumes 140 kilograms of food and 150 liters of water
... But what can't you do for your beloved pet? Elephants are very attached to their master and listen to him with pleasure. When an elephant is well trained and loved by its master, it does not need a chain. But, an evil master who beats and scolds the elephant can pay for it. An angry elephant can go mad with rage. Also, elephants get very angry when they are sold to new owners. To help these giants cope with stress, the old master himself takes the elephant to his new house and for some time works with the new owner to help him learn the character and habits of the elephant.
Indian elephants(they are also called Asian), are considered the second largest land animals after african elephants... Their body weight does not exceed 5 tons, and the height at the shoulders is no more than 3 meters
... Only males have tusks, and they (tusks) reach a mass of 20 - 25 kg, and a length of 1.5 meters.
But they are found among Indian elephants, males without tusks, in India they are called makhna. The ears of elephants are not large, very pointed and extended downward.
The legs of elephants are also surprisingly arranged. On the sole, under the skin, there is a springy jelly-like mass that allows elephants to walk almost silently. When the elephant rests on its foot, its sole expands, increasing the supporting surface. And when the elephant unloads the leg, the sole takes on its original shape. This unique quality of the leg arrangement helps elephants to overcome swampy swamps and not get stuck at all, even plunging belly into the bog.
Body indian 
x elephants, covered with wrinkled dark gray skin; the thickness of the skin is 2.5 cm. But, around the mouth and inside ears, the skin is thin and very sensitive. The skin of elephants does not have sweat glands, it is dry, so taking care of it takes up a significant part of the life of an elephant. By taking mud baths, they protect themselves from sunburn, insect bites and loss of fluid. Elephants also quite often scratch the trees and bathe.
Elephants are most often kept in groups, up to 20 individuals. Sometimes there are groups in which there are more than 100 individuals. Each herd has an experienced old female, to whom everyone obeys, and who is a kind of leader of the herd.
Indian elephants Are mostly forest dwellers. They prefer light forests with dense undergrowth of bamboo and shrubs. Previously, especially in the cool season, elephants went out into the savannah, but now this happens only in reserves, since the savannah has been turned into agricultural land, almost everywhere. In summer, elephants climb high into the mountains, along wooded slopes, and in the Himalayas they are found near the border eternal snow. 
Elephants spend almost 20 hours a day searching for food and are strict vegetarians. Elephants feed on grass and feed on roots, leaves and flowers. different plants, bark and fruits. Because of huge amount food consumed per day (150 - 300 kg), elephants do not feed in one place for more than 2 - 3 days.
Breeding of elephants occurs at any time of the year, pregnancy in females lasts 605 - 640 days. One, very rarely two, baby elephants is born, weighing about 90 kilograms. Baby elephants reach sexual maturity at 8 - 12 years old, and Indian elephants live 70 - 75 years old.
In India and Thailand, elephants are traditionally used as mounts and are taught to lie down on command to make them easier to climb. If the elephants cannot be taught this, then a ladder is assigned to them, along which people climb onto the back of the animal. Many tourists traveling in India are very fond of elephant trekking. The ride is made while sitting in a goudha, a box attached like a saddle, which has a wicker bamboo roof to keep out the sun and rain.
On the back of an elephant, 4 people can easily fit, not counting the driver who sits on the elephant's neck.
Elephants are most often used in logging, where they not only carry heavy trunks of sawn trees, but also perform complex work on laying boards in a certain order, load and unload barges, and pull logs out of the water.
Most of the trained and tamed elephants are bought by zoos and circuses around the world.
Throughout history, humans have hunted elephants - first for meat, then for tusks. With the arrival of Europeans in India, the extermination of wild Indian elephants began for the sake of ivory. This drastically reduced the elephant's habitat, which turned into a series of isolated areas in wilderness or protected areas.
In the last decade of the twentieth century, there has been an expansion of agricultural land and an increase in the number of eucalyptus plantations, which are used as the main raw material for the paper and pulp industry in the countries. South-East Asia... This further reduced the range of wild elephants. In addition, they began to be destroyed as pests. Agriculture(especially in dry years, when there was very little grass, elephants came to human plantations in search of food).
In general, people try to be friends with elephants, because these are peaceful animals.
Elephant - symbol positive character, is used in Asia as a royal supreme animal, and is highly regarded for intelligence and cunning. White elephant, who announced the birth of Buddha, became a symbol of the liberator of people from the shackles of earthly existence. 
In Hinduism, the deity Ganesha, the god of literature and wisdom, has an elephant's head.
The elephant was also a symbol of strength and intelligence in ancient China.
And in the western antique world, this exotic animal was considered as an attribute of the god Mercury, as the embodiment of hereditary wisdom and non-aggressive power. The elephant also symbolizes the overcoming of death. The chastity of elephants is extolled in medieval books. Elephants are often seen on images of paradise and coats of arms, especially after crusades... In 1464, the Order of the Elephants was formed in Denmark. The white elephant was the symbol of the Kingdom of Siam (present-day Thailand). And in China, they believe that riding an elephant in a dream means happiness.
Like these ones amazing creatures nature, live in India. These giants amaze with their power and grace, their intelligence and good nature, beauty and greatness. Elephants….
See also Handsome documentary about the wild nature of India
IN THE KINGDOM OF ELEPHANTS.
Indian or asian elephant(lat. Elephas maximus) takes an honorable second place among the largest land animals. The growth of this giant is 2.5-3.5 m with a body weight of 2.7 tons (females) to 5.4 tons (males). The length of an adult elephant reaches 5.4-6.4 m, and the tail is 120-150 cm.
The physique of the Indian elephant is more massive than that of its African counterpart. He has relatively short and thick legs. The front legs have five hooves, and the hind legs have four. Powerful body firm wrinkled skin, the average thickness of which is 2.5 cm, reliably protects. The most delicate and vulnerable areas are on the inner part of the ears and around the mouth.
The color of Asian elephants ranges from dark gray to brown. Albino elephants are extremely rare, which are highly prized in Siam and even serve as an object of worship there. Their main feature is light skin with even lighter spots and pale yellow eyes. Some specimens had a pale reddish-brown coloration with white hair on the back.
A distinctive feature of the Asian elephant is considered to be small ears in the form of an irregular quadrangle. Their tusks are two or even three times smaller than those of African elephants. In some subspecies, they are found only in males, while in the Sri Lankan they are absent altogether. This saved the Indian elephant from insatiable poachers who caused significant damage to the elephant population in Africa.
Wild Asian elephants are found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Borneo and Sumatra, and Brunei. They live in territories national parks, in nature reserves and hard-to-reach areas. Because elephants willingly ravage rice, sugarcane and banana plantations, they are considered agricultural pests and are being carefully pushed out of "cultured" areas.
Believe it or not, Indian elephants are very agile animals with an amazing sense of balance. Despite their size, they willingly climb the wooded slopes of the mountains to a height of 3.6 thousand meters (to the border of eternal snows in the Himalayas). The structure of the sole allows them to travel without fear in swampy areas, although from time to time they check the reliability of the soil under their feet with powerful blows with their trunk.
Female Asian elephants live in small groups of 2-10 adults with calves of different ages... The most adult female “commands” all, who takes care of the safety of all members of the herd.
Elephants often help each other out: for example, when one of them comes to give birth, all the others surround her with a tight ring and do not disperse until the baby is born and stands on its legs - this is how they protect the mother and her cub from predators. In addition, a young elephant calf, although adhering to its mother, can “have a snack” at any other lactating female in the herd.
At the age of 10-16 years, young males leave their mother forever and begin to live alone, while females remain in their native herd for life. Generally, life cycle in elephants it is similar to humans: at 12-16 years old, young animals become capable of reproducing offspring, but they reach adult sizes only by 20 years.
The lifespan of elephants is 60-80 years. Interestingly, in the wild, they do not die from disease (this rarely happens), but from hunger. The fact is that the chewing teeth of elephants change only 4 times during their life. After 40 years, new teeth no longer grow, and the old ones gradually wear out. By the age of 70, they become unsuitable for chewing and the elephant loses its ability to feed.
Elephants (Elephantidae)- huge, strong, intelligent and sociable mammals. Over the centuries, humanity has been amazed by their size - males African species can reach 7500 kilograms. Elephants surprise with their long and lithe noses, large and flapping ears, and loose and wrinkled skin. They are among the most famous animals in the world. There are many stories and films about elephants - you've probably heard of Horton, King Babar and baby Dumbo.
Appearance
Ears
The ears of elephants, in addition to their direct function, also act as a conditioner. In hot weather, elephants wave them, and thereby cool the blood in the ears, which, thanks to the numerous blood vessels, cools the entire body of the animal.
Leather
The term pachyderm comes from the Greek word pachydermos, meaning thick skin. Thickness skin on some parts of the body it can reach 2.54 cm. The skin is loosely attached to the body, which creates the appearance of baggy pants. The benefit of thicker skin is to retain moisture as it takes longer to evaporate and the body stays chilled longer. Despite the thickness of their skin, elephants are very sensitive to touch and sunburn... To protect themselves from blood-sucking insects and the sun, they often shower themselves with water and also ride in the mud.
Tusks and teeth
The elephant's tusks are located on the upper jaw and serve as the only incisors. They are used for protection, food extraction, and also for lifting objects. Tusks are present at birth and are milk teeth that fall out after a year, when they reach a length of 5 cm. Permanent tusks extend beyond the lips after 2-3 years and grow throughout life. The tusks are made of ivory (dentin), with an outer layer of enamel, and the peculiar shape creates a special sheen that distinguishes elephant tusks from other mammals such as warthogs, walruses and sperm whales. Often, African elephants are killed by poachers only because of the tusks.
Elephants also have molars, located on both jaws on both sides. A single molar can weigh about 2.3 kilograms and be about the size of a brick. Each elephant changes up to 6 sets of teeth during its life. New teeth do not grow vertically, as in most mammals, but climb from behind, while old and worn ones are pushed forward. In old age, the molars of elephants are sensitive and worn out, so they prefer to eat softer food. In this case, swamps are ideal places for soft vegetation. In such territories, you can often find old individuals that remain there until their death. This circumstance has led some people to believe that elephants go to special places to die.
Trunk
The elephant's trunk is both the upper lip and the nose at the same time. On each side of the trunk there are 8 large muscles, and along the entire length there are about 150,000 muscle bundles (muscle lobes). This unique appendage lacks bones and cartilage. He is so strong that he can bring the trunk of a tree down and so nimble that he can pick up only one straw. Elephants use their trunks like we do our hands: grab, hold, lift, touch, pull, push, and throw.
The trunk also serves as a nose. It has two nostrils, for sucking air, along the long nasal passages, into the lungs. Elephants use their trunk to drink, but the water does not travel all the way to the nose like a straw, instead, it lingers in the trunk, and then the elephant lifts its head and pours the water into its mouth.
Habitat
Asian elephants live in Nepal, India and parts of Southeast Asia. The main habitat is undersized and rainforests... In dry months, they are often found along river banks.
African bush elephants (savannah elephants) live in the eastern, central and southern parts Africa, prefer low-lying and mountainous forests, river floodplains, all types woodland and savannahs. Forest elephants are found in the Congo Basins and in western Africa, in humid, semi-deciduous tropical forests.
The largest elephant
The record of the big elephant got an adult male african elephant... He weighed about 12,240 kilograms and reached 3.96 meters in height to the shoulders. Most animals do not grow to this size, but African savannah elephants are much larger in size than Asian ones.
Great appetite
The elephant's diet includes all types of vegetation, from grasses and fruits to leaves and bark. Every day, these huge animals consume 75-50 kilograms of food, which is 4-6% of their body weight. On average, they eat up to 16 hours a day. Bush elephants are herbivores and feed on grass, including sedges, flowering plants, and leaves of bushes. Forest elephants prefer leaves, fruits, seeds, twigs and bark. Asian elephants have a mixed diet during the dry season and after heavy rains use shrubs and small trees, and after the first part of the rainy season they can eat grass. Also Asian elephants can eat different kinds plants depending on the season, branches and bark.
Life in the herd
Elephants live in tight social groups called herds, usually made up of females and their offspring. The main leader of the herd is the most experienced and adult female, therefore matriarchy reigns in the elephant family. The herd leader remembers how to find a way to food and water, and how to avoid predators, and knows best places for shelter. Also, the main female has the right to teach younger individuals the rules of behavior in society. In some cases, the group may consist of one of the main leader's sisters and her offspring. When the number of individuals in a group becomes large, a new herd is formed, while they can maintain free communication with other associations.
Adult males do not usually live in the herd. After gaining independence from the mother, males leave the herd and live alone or with other bachelors. Males can visit a herd of females only for a short time, for reproduction. They do not participate in the upbringing of their offspring.
Etiquette is an important part of the elephant society. The trunk can be extended to another elephant to greet, to show affection, to hug, while fighting and checking reproductive health.
Offspring
At birth, the height of a baby elephant is about a meter, and its weight is 55-120 kg. As a rule, babies are born with hairline, short trunk and directly dependent on the mother and other members of the herd. They do not need a trunk, since milk, from the mother, enters the mouth. Baby elephants try to stay as close to their mother or other lactating female as possible. During the first year of life, on average, they gain 1-1.3 kilograms of weight per day. If the baby is in distress, other members of the herd often come to his aid.
Despite long-term gestation and protection, elephants need to gradually move along the social stages of the herd and establish their position in it. Cubs spend their days learning to walk on four legs in one direction, trying to cope with huge ears and mastering the work of the trunk. They are very clumsy at first, but all the time they learn to control their body. Upon reaching 2-3 years of age, the elephants stop feeding on their mother's milk.
Enemies
What animals threaten elephants? Not many! Baby elephants can be potential food for hyenas, lions, leopards or crocodiles, but as long as they are with their mom, don't worry. If the elephant senses an approaching danger, then it publishes loud noise(alarm) to alert others. To combat a potential predator, the herd forms a protective ring of adults, while the babies are in the middle. For an adult elephant, the main enemy is a poacher with a rifle.
Sounds
Elephants make many different sounds, but some of them cannot be picked up by human ears because they are low frequency. Elephants use these sounds to communicate with each other over long distances. Have you ever had stomach growls at the most inopportune moment? For the elephant society, this is a welcome sound that signals to other elephants that "everything is in order."
Kinds
There are two kinds of elephants: African and Asian. The African genus is subdivided into two species: the bush elephant and the forest elephant, and the Asian or Indian elephant is the only surviving species of its kind. Until now, discussions continue about how many really and what types of elephants are. More details about African and Asian elephants are written below.
African elephant
Conservation status: In a vulnerable position.
African elephants are the largest land animals in the world. Their trunk is an extension of the upper lip and nose and is used to communicate with other individuals, sort out objects and eat. African elephants, unlike Asian elephants, have two branches at the end of the trunk. Tusks, which grow throughout life, are observed in both males and females, are used in battles, for digging, and also for food. Another notable feature of African elephants is their enormous ears, which allow their enormous body to cool.
Today, there are two types of African elephants:
Bush or bush elephant (Loxodonta africana);
Forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis).
Bush view bigger size than forest and has tusks bent outward. At the same time, the forest elephant is of a darker color with straight tusks directed downward. There are also differences in the size and shape of the skull and skeleton.
Social structure
The social structure of elephants is organized around a herd of interconnected females and their offspring. In the savannah elephant, each family unit includes about 10 individuals, although there are also associations of these family units - "clans", which can number 70 individuals. Elephants forest species live in small family associations. Herds can form temporary gatherings of elephants, with a number of about 1000 individuals, mainly in East Africa... These associations arise during periods of drought, due to human intervention or any other change that degrades the standard model of existence. When threatened, elephants create a ring around the young and the matriarch (the main female), which can be attacked. Young elephants stay with their mother for many years, and also receive care from other females in the herd.
Life cycle
As a rule, the female gives birth to one cub, once every 2.5-9 years, at the beginning of the rainy season. Pregnancy lasts 22 months. Cubs are on breastfeeding 6-18 months, although there are cases of feeding up to 6 years. Males leave the female after mating and tend to form alliances with other males. African elephants can have a lifespan of 70 years. Fertile age of females begins at 25 years old, lasts up to 45 years. Males need to be 20 years old to compete successfully for a female with other males.
The diet
African elephants prefer to eat leaves, branches of bushes and trees, but can eat grass, fruits and bark.
Historical habitat and population size
The habitat of the African elephant has ranged across most of Africa, from the coast Mediterranean Sea to the south of the continent. Scientists believe that between the 1930s and 1940s, there were more than 3-5 million African elephants. However, as a result of intensive hunting for trophies and tusks, the population of the species began to decline significantly since 1950. An estimated 100,000 were killed in the 1980s, and in some regions, up to 80% of the elephants were killed. In Kenya, the population fell by 85% between 1973 and 1989.
Population size and distribution at the current time
The forest species is widespread in the zone rainforest in the west and in the center of Africa, where relatively large areas of dense forest are present. Bush elephant lives in the east and south of Africa. Most of the species is concentrated in Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa.
A significant number of elephants are devoid of well-protected areas - less than 20% are protected. In most countries West Africa the population is calculated by only hundreds or tens of individuals living in small groups in an isolated forest. In contrast to the west of the continent, the elephant population in the south is larger and gradually increasing - more than 300,000 elephants are now wandering between sub-regions.
Threats
Elephants continue to roam throughout Africa. But these magnificent animals are endangered due to poaching and habitat loss. The population of elephants throughout Africa is in different conditions, some are under great threat of extinction, while others are safe. South Africa became the main support for elephants, on its territory, the number of individuals is gradually increasing.
Large populations of elephants are separated from well-protected areas, which are home to only a small number of animals. The African elephant is threatened by illegal hunting for meat and ivory, loss of habitat, conflicts with humans. Most of the countries do not have sufficient capacity to protect the African elephant. In the absence of conservation action, in parts of Africa for over 50 years, elephants could become extinct animals.
In the early 1970s, demand for ivory increased and the amount of bone exported from Africa reached critical levels. Most of the goods that left Africa were declared illegal, with about 80% raw meat from slain elephants. This illegal trade has been a driving factor in the decline of the African elephant population from 3-5 million to its current level.
In 1989, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora banned the international trade in ivory to combat massive illegal trade. After the ban came into force, in 1990, some of the main ivory markets were eliminated. As a result, illegal killings have dropped dramatically in some African countries, especially in areas where elephants have not been adequately protected. This fact allowed the African elephant population to recover.
However, in countries where conservation authorities receive insufficient funding to combat poaching, the problem becomes significant. Uncontrolled domestic ivory markets in several states continue to grow. In addition, increased land-use pressures on the elephant population, cuts in protection budgets, and continued poaching for elephant bones and meat have kept the illegal killing of elephants widespread in some regions.
The uneven distribution of the population has created controversy over the conservation of the African elephant. Some people, mostly residents southern countries where elephant numbers are increasing, it is believed that legal enforcement and control of the ivory trade can bring substantial economic benefits without jeopardizing the conservation of the species. Others oppose because corruption and lack of law enforcement will not allow reasonable trading to be controlled. Therefore, the illegal trade in ivory remains real threat for the African elephant, and preserving the population is considered a priority.
As the elephant's habitat extends beyond protected areas, and as the rapid growth of human population and expansion of agricultural land, elephant habitat is increasingly shrinking. In this regard, a conflict arises between a man and an elephant. Farm boundaries prevent elephants from passing through migration corridors. The consequence is the destruction or damage of crops and small villages. Inevitable loss occurs on both sides, as people lose their means of subsistence due to elephants, and elephants lose their habitats, for which they often lose their lives. The human population continues to grow throughout the elephant territory, threatening habitat loss, a major threat.
The more we learn about elephants, the more the need to preserve them increases. The current generation needs to be inspired to help preserve these beautiful fauna for our future generations.
Asian elephant
Conservation status: Endangered species.
Listed in the Red Book The International Union nature protection
The sacred Asian elephant, worshiped for centuries, is still used today for ceremonial and religious purposes. He is revered not only for his role in Asian culture, but also for being one of the key biological species in the tropical forests of Asia. Although populations of thousands of domesticated elephants are found in Southeast Asia, this magnificent animal is threatened with extinction in the wild, associated with a rapidly growing human population, displacing elephants from their usual habitat.
Wild elephant populations are small, as ancient migration routes are cut off by human settlements, they cannot reunite with other groups of elephants. Collisions between elephants and humans often result in the death of both sides. Today, widespread problems are: illegal poaching, ivory, meat and hides.
Description
The Asian elephant is considered the largest land mammal in Asia. It has relatively small ears, a single finger-like process at the end of the trunk, while the African elephant has two processes. Have significant amount males of the Asian elephant lack tusks, and the percentage of males with these depends on the region - about 5% in Sri Lanka and up to 90% in southern India. Asian elephants constantly keep their ears in motion to cool their bodies. They have well-developed hearing, sight, smell, and are excellent swimmers. Sizes: body length is 550-640 cm, height at the shoulders is 250-300 cm, weight is about 5000 kg. Color: varies from dark gray to brown, interspersed with pink on the forehead, ears, chest and at the base of the trunk.
Social structure
Asian elephants have a close social structure... Females are united in groups of 6-7 related individuals, headed by females "matriarchs". Like African elephants, groups can join other groups to form large herds that are relatively short-lived.
Life cycle
According to observers, the cubs of the Asian elephant can stand on their feet immediately after birth, and after a few months they begin to feed on grass and leaves. Babies remain under the care of the mother for several years, and begin to move independently after 4 years. At the age of 17, elephants reach their final size. Both sexes become sexually mature at age 9, but males usually do not start sex life up to 14-15 years old and even at this age they are not capable of social domination, which is a necessary component of successful reproductive activity.
Reproduction
V favorable conditions habitat, the female can give birth to cubs every 2.5-4 years, otherwise it happens every 5-8 years.
The diet
Elephants spend more than two-thirds of the day feeding on grass, tree bark, roots, leaves and small stems. Crops such as bananas, rice and sugarcane are preferred foods. Asian elephants should drink at least once a day, so they are always near fresh water sources.
Population and distribution
Their original habitat ranged from present-day Iraq and Syria to China's Yellow River Yellow River, but now they are only found from India to Vietnam, with a tiny population settling in the southwest of China's Yunnan province. It is estimated that there were over 100,000 Asian elephants in the early 20th century. And over the past 60-75 years, the population has declined by at least 50%.
Threats
The ever-growing human population of tropical Asia has encroached on a dense but shrinking forest environment habitat of elephants. About 20% of the world's population lives within or near the Asian elephant's distribution range. Competition for living space has resulted in a significant loss of forest cover as well as a decline in the Asiatic elephant population from 25,600 to 32,750 in the wild.
The populations of the Asian elephant have increased fragmentation, the consequence of which is a significant decrease in the chances of survival, since in the conditions of a growing human population, development projects are being created based on the construction of dams, roads, mines, industrial complexes, settlements... Most of the national parks and reserves that are home to elephants are too small to accommodate all viable populations. The transformation of forest land into agricultural land leads to serious conflicts people and elephants. Elephants kill up to 300 people annually in India.
In Asian elephants, only males have tusks and therefore poaching is directed at them. Killing elephants for ivory and meat remains a serious problem in many countries, especially in southern India (where 90% of elephants are potential victims) and northeastern India, where some people feed on elephant meat. From 1995 to 1996, hidden poaching for bones and meat from Asian elephants increased. Illegal trade across the border between Thailand and Myanmar in live elephants, their bones, and skins has also become a major conservation problem. In 1997, seven years after the ivory trade was banned, illegal sales remained in the Of the Far East, wherein South Korea, China and Taiwan remained the main markets. However, most of these illegal products came from Africa, not Asian elephants.
Imprisoning wild elephants for domestic containment has become a threat to wild populations, the number of which has decreased significantly. The governments of India, Vietnam and Myanmar have banned the capture to conserve wild herds, but in Myanmar, elephants are captured every year for use in the timber industry or for the illegal trade. Unfortunately, rough fishing methods have resulted in high mortality rates. Efforts are being made not only to improve safety, but also to breed elephants in captivity. Considering that almost 30% of elephants live in captivity, it is necessary to increase their number by reintroducing individuals into the wild.
Elephant facts
- Lifespan: about 30 years in the wild and about 50 years in captivity.
- Pregnancy: 20 to 22 months.
- Number of cubs at birth: 1.
- Sexual maturity is 13-20 years old.
- Size: Females average 2.4 meters in height to the shoulders, and males 3-3.2 meters.
- Weight: The female African elephant weighs up to 3600 kg, and the male - 6800 kg. The female Asian elephant weighs on average 2720 kg, and the male - 5400 kg.
- Birth weight: 55-120 kg.
- Height at birth: 66-107 centimeters to the shoulders.
- The elephant's skin is so sensitive that the animal can feel the touch of a fly.
- The low, loud calls of one elephant can be heard by others up to 8 kilometers away.
- Elephants suffer from the hunt for their tusks, which are made of dentin, just like our teeth.
- In the Andaman Islands (India), elephants swim in the sea between the islands.
- The elephant skull weighs about 52 kilograms.
- Elephants mainly use one of their tusks. Therefore, often one is worn more than the other.
- The modern elephant is the only mammal that can remain well below the surface of the water, while the trunk is used as a breathing tube.
- Frequent bathing and dousing with water, as well as mud baths, are an important part of skin care.
- Unlike other mammals, elephants grow throughout their lives.
- Are elephants afraid of mice? Most likely, they are annoyed by small animals, so they try to scare or crush them.
- Elephants can remember good and bad things. Especially in zoos, they can remember people who did something good for them, or vice versa.
- Elephants sleep in a prone position for several hours, while, as noted by zoo staff, they may even snore.
- The African elephant, weighing about 6,300 kilograms, is capable of carrying up to 9,000 kilograms.
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The Indian elephant is also called Asian. It belongs to the elephant family. Forms a separate genus of Asian elephants.
The preferred habitat is deciduous and tropical forests with dense undergrowth. These animals do not live in the steppe area. This is due to human farming activities. To date, these animals only live in reserves in areas without tall plants and trees. It can climb the wooded cliffs into the mountains to a height of about 3 thousand meters above sea level. This occurs in the northeastern regions of India - in the Eastern Himalayas. These animals are also perfectly mastered in swampy areas and reservoirs with a shallow depth.
There are 3 types of Asian elephants: the elephant of Indonesia, more precisely Borneo and Sumatra; the Indian elephant inhabiting Nepal, Thailand, Laos, India, Bhutan, Vietnam, China; elephant of the island of Sri Lanka. Usually in conversations and publications the term "Indian elephant" is used, meaning by this all Asian elephants.
Dimensions of the Indian elephant
The Indian elephant is large and strong. In terms of weight and size, it is second only to its African counterpart, i.e. among all mammals on the planet, this animal ranks second in size.
The maximum height of the male is 3.2 meters, the females can reach 2.2-2.4 meters in height. Males can weigh 5.5 tons maximum.
Females are smaller, their weight can be up to 2.6 tons. In the total body weight, about 15% is the weight of the skeleton. The largest member of the genus lived in India and was shot in 1924. He weighed 8 tons, his body was 8 meters long, the height of the animal was 3.35 meters. Now the body length of these animals varies from 5.5 to 6.6 meters. They have a tail, the length of which is up to 1.5 meters.
Appearance
If we compare the Indian elephant with the African, then the first is more stocky. Has powerful legs. Due to the fact that the soles of the feet expand when in contact with the surface, animals move well on sand and wetlands. The front legs have 5 toes, the hind legs - 4. The body of the elephants is covered with dark gray, almost brown dry wrinkled skin. Elephants carefully monitor her condition. They love to swim, scratch on the bark and branches of trees, roll in the dust.
The body is covered with sparse coarse wool, and in young animals it is thicker and darker, almost brown. Compared to the African, the Indian elephant has a different head shape, so the inhabitant of the African continent can be easily distinguished from the inhabitant of India. Has two small bumps on the head. The head is slightly compressed on the sides. Unlike its African counterpart, the ears of the Indian elephant are small.
The elephant has a trunk that is 1.5-1.8 meters long. These are the muscles that are fused upper lip and nose. The trunk easily holds a whole bucket of water. At the end, it has one finger-like process, while the African elephant has two.
The tusks are huge fangs. The females of this animal have no tusks. Sometimes males do not have tusks either. This is usually typical for representatives of the population of Sri Lanka. Maximum length tusks - 1.6 meters. Their Weight Limit can be 25 kg. For comparison, an African elephant has tusks that can be 2.5 meters long and weigh 45 kg. The largest recorded length of the tusks of an Asian elephant was 1.8 meters, and their weight was 40 kg. The animal has 4 molars, which change 4 times during its life. Milk teeth fall out at 15-16, molars grow, then they change at intervals of 12 years. When the last molars wear out, the elephant starves to death. Life expectancy in the wild is 60-65 years, in individual cases- 70 years old. Under certain conditions, an animal can live for 80 years.
The Indian elephant is a long-liver; in captivity, it lives up to 70 - 80 years. Behavior and nutrition of the Indian elephant
Indian elephants live in groups of mature females, their daughters and offspring. The head of such a group is an adult female. The number of the herd is 10-20 animals. Previously, groups were much larger until humans began to actively and frequently invade wildlife. Males create separate groups, but these herds are unstable, they can disintegrate, then reunite, but already include new males. An adult male can often be seen in a group of females. However, he is not a full member of this herd.
Listen to the voice of an Indian elephant
The diet of Indian elephants is based on plant food... This animal eats leaves, grass, bananas, tree bark, roots and sugarcane. Can go in search of food on farmland, which causes negative attitude people.
These animals feed on one site for only a few days, then move on to the next. This is due to the fact that these animals eat a lot and eat the vegetation around them quickly. Each herd has its own territory, its area is approximately 30-40 sq. Km. Elephants do not enter other people's possessions. They have excellent hearing and a keen sense of smell, but the eyesight of these animals is weak. The Indian elephant has a very high level intelligence, in this he is second only to the dolphin. Elephants have a developed sense of mutual assistance.
Reproduction
Males become sexually mature at 12-15 years old. From that moment, every year they have a condition called mast or must (eng. Musth). During this period, their level of the sex hormone testosterone rises, its concentration increases almost 100 times. This period lasts 2 months. At this time, males are aggressive, practically do not eat and spend all their time looking for a female ready for breeding. In the African elephant, the must passes calmly, without such manifestations. After the Asian elephant has found a suitable female, it engages in battle with other males. And only by defeating all rivals, he achieves her location. This takes about 20 days.
The Indian elephant is a herbivorous animal. The duration of pregnancy is 18-22 months. Usually one elephant is born, in rare cases- two. The weight of a newborn is 100 kg, it reaches a height of 1 meter. The female feeds the cub with milk for 2 years. Females become sexually mature at 10-12 years old. Young females spend their entire lives next to their mother, and males leave the herd at the age of 8-12 years.
Indian elephant and man
This animal has almost no enemies in the wild, only and are a certain danger. In ancient times, the enemies of elephants were, but now they are practically not found in the wild. A small population of these lions remained only in the northwestern part of India in the Girsky Reserve. On the this moment these predators do not pose a threat to elephants.
People have been taming these animals for many centuries. They were used to move and transport weapons by the army, they took part in rituals. Every ruler of India had elephants at his palace, which demonstrated his power and wealth. Found use for elephants and in heavy construction works... These animals are smart and quick-witted, and also take root well in captivity.
The enemies of the Indian elephant are leopards. V last years in India, powerful mechanisms and tools are used everywhere on construction sites, so elephants are no longer involved in these works. Human agricultural activities, such as plowing and expanding farmland, have a negative impact on the population. Now in Asia, the number of Indian elephants is up to 50 thousand individuals. People shoot these animals because they harm their lands and simply interfere with their normal life. Reduces population and hunting for tusks. In 1986, this animal was listed in the International Red Book. Now there is a dynamic of a constant decline in the number of elephants by 2-3% annually.
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