~Elephants are the largest extant terrestrial mammal
~15% of their mass is skeleton, which is about twice of what is found in other mammals
~Elephants must keep at least two feet on the ground at all times
~Their trunk is essentially an elongated upper lip and nose
-learning to use their trunk efficiently takes years of practice
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| http://wallpapers.free-review.net/15__Baby_elephant.htm |
THEIR SENSES:
~They have poor vision
~Have a good sense of smell because they have well developed turbinate bones and a lot of odor receptors
~They have okay hearing, but they use infrasounds which are low frequency vocalizations
-the low frequency sounds travel far distances so they can coordinate movement among other groups
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| http://wodumedia.com/nick-brandt-photography/elephant-herds-crossing-lake-bed-in-sun/ |
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR:
~Families consist of 1-9 adult females and their young
~They are allomothers, meaning they provide care to another females infant
-the more allomothers , the higher rate of infant survival
~The family is led by a matriarch which is usually the oldest female
-the older the matriarch the better the family will do
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
~They eat over 300 lbs of vegetation a day
~Drink up to 30 gallons of water a day
~They will raid cultivated fields if their food is scarce
~They are hindgut fermenters and their dung can be used as a fertilizer
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| http://www.flickr.com/photos/joysmith7mr/4312466074/ |
MYTHS & LEGENDS:
~Elephants never forget
-elephants do have a great memory, but this phrase is a little exaggerated
~Elephant Graveyards
-elephants do show and interest if one of their family members have died. They may stay with them for days or even return back to them after they have traveled far distances
~White Elephants
They do exist and they are albino elephants
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| http://wallpapers.stillmaza.com/2011/09/white-elephant-high-definition.html |
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