Elephant
All rights reserved.
No publication without written permission of the photographer.
Location: Botswana
Photographer: © Pia Dierickx
African elephants are the heaviest land animal, and the second tallest in the Animal Kingdom.
They are a sexually dimorphic species; males appear larger than females. The height of a bull at his shoulder is about about 3.75 m, when the female’s height is about 3 m.
They have enormous ears, each measuring about 120-125 cm across.
They have a unique nose that is simply a long, boneless trunk extending from the upper lip. The trunk usually measures about about 150 cm and weighs around about 135 kg.
The two finger-like projections on the tip are so dexterous they can pick a blade of grass. The trunk itself is so strong it is capable of lifting 250 kg. Their incisor teeth develop into tusks about long 245-250 cm long and can weigh about 60 kg each. The only other teeth they have are four molars which are replaced three times throughout their lives after the previous set wears down.
African elephants have dark gray skin which is scattered with black hairs that wear off through the years. As a result the adults are mostly hairless. Their skin is about 2-4 cm thick, but flies, mosquitoes and parasites still penetrate it.
There are two currently recognized subspecies which differ in their geographic location, tusk length and weight. Forest elephants, Loxodonta africana cyclotis, typically reside in rain forests. They have more slender tusks and are smaller in height and weight than savannah/desert elephants (Loxodonta africana africana) who usually are found in grasslands.
Elephants do not have any specific mating season. During the rainy seasons the reproductive rate is higher while times of drought or crowded conditions result in a lower reproductive rate. After a 22-month gestation period, single elephant calves are born weighing about 130 kg, twins are rare. A short time after birth, they instinctively are able to follow their mothers. Females give birth every four to nine years. Older calves are weaned a few months before the next is born. (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html)
No publication without written permission of the photographer.
Location: Botswana
Photographer: © Pia Dierickx
African elephants are the heaviest land animal, and the second tallest in the Animal Kingdom.
They are a sexually dimorphic species; males appear larger than females. The height of a bull at his shoulder is about about 3.75 m, when the female’s height is about 3 m.
They have enormous ears, each measuring about 120-125 cm across.
They have a unique nose that is simply a long, boneless trunk extending from the upper lip. The trunk usually measures about about 150 cm and weighs around about 135 kg.
The two finger-like projections on the tip are so dexterous they can pick a blade of grass. The trunk itself is so strong it is capable of lifting 250 kg. Their incisor teeth develop into tusks about long 245-250 cm long and can weigh about 60 kg each. The only other teeth they have are four molars which are replaced three times throughout their lives after the previous set wears down.
African elephants have dark gray skin which is scattered with black hairs that wear off through the years. As a result the adults are mostly hairless. Their skin is about 2-4 cm thick, but flies, mosquitoes and parasites still penetrate it.
There are two currently recognized subspecies which differ in their geographic location, tusk length and weight. Forest elephants, Loxodonta africana cyclotis, typically reside in rain forests. They have more slender tusks and are smaller in height and weight than savannah/desert elephants (Loxodonta africana africana) who usually are found in grasslands.
Elephants do not have any specific mating season. During the rainy seasons the reproductive rate is higher while times of drought or crowded conditions result in a lower reproductive rate. After a 22-month gestation period, single elephant calves are born weighing about 130 kg, twins are rare. A short time after birth, they instinctively are able to follow their mothers. Females give birth every four to nine years. Older calves are weaned a few months before the next is born. (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html)