ALL ABOUT ELEPHANTS

HABITAT

African elephants live in sub-Saharan Africa, the rain forests of Central and West Africa and the Sahel desert in Mali.
Asian elephants live in Nepal, India and Southeast Asia in scrub forests and rain forests.

SIZE

African elephants are the larger of the two species. They grow 8.2 to 13 feet (2.5 to 4 meters)
from shoulder to toe and weigh 5,000 to 14,000 lbs. (2,268 to 6,350 kilograms), according to the
National Geographic. Asian elephants can grow up to 6.6 to 9.8 feet (2 to 3 m) from shoulder to toe
and weigh up to 2.25 to 5.5 tons (2,041 to 4,990 kg).

DIET

Elephants eat grasses, roots, fruit and bark. They use their tusks to pull the bark from
trees and dig roots out of the ground. An elephant has an appetite that matches its size.
An adult can eat 300 lbs. (136 kg) of food in a day, according to the National Geographic.

HABITS

A group of elephants is called a herd. The herd is led by a matriarch, which is the oldest female.
Females, as well as young and old elephants, stick together in a herd. Adult males tend to wander
on their own. Elephants also have certain rules. For example, when they are meeting each other,
they expect the other elephant to extend its trunk in greeting. The matriarch will often teach young
elephants in her herd how to act properly

CONSERVATION

According to the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
the Asian elephant is endangered. Though it is not known exactly how many Asian elephants remain, it is believed
that the population is decreasing. The African elephant is considered vulnerable. Overall, its populations are increasing.
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, there are around 470,000 African elephants roaming the globe.

IVORY

An elephant's tusks are both a blessing and curse. Blessing because they give a sense of ture majesty
that rise them above other animals as well and being of use for various tasks. A curse because man's
avarice for ivory has led to the senselss slaughter of hundrends of thousands of the magnificent animals.

One of the key differences between African and Asian elephants is the tusks. All African elephants, male
and female, have tusks whereas only some Asian males have tusks. About 50% of Asian females have short tusks
known as tushes - which have no pulp inside.

LIFE WITHOUT ELEPHANTS

• The entire ecosystem is at risk


• Lack of elephants in Thailand puts certain tree species at risk of extiction


• Elephants eat fruits and seeds other animals cant digest, depositing tree seeds
  farther away than they could otherwise travel, and taking root


• Elephants uproot trees creating shelters for animals, such as lizards, animals
  were more diverse and full in places where elephants had damanged trees


• Grazing promites the spread of grasslands