Animals that fall elephants in the house. Elephant animal. Lifestyle and habitat of an elephant. Historic habitat and population

While the "intelligent man" studies the kamasutra and is lost in the assortment of sex shops, the animals everything turns out by itself. However, some animal skills in this area could well replenish some other thematic treatise.

Octopuses: Broken Penis

Hippopotamus: scattering poop

Male hippopotamus during the marriage games lures female, with his excrement. It is determined and at the same time sprinkles the manure with rapid movements of the tail. Of course, this animal is not to understand that the seduction in the bathroom is sexy.

Flamingo: Light makeup before sex

In the marriage period, Flamingo feathers become brighter thanks to special pigments from the secretion gland. Zoologists who studied the behavior of Flamingo declare that such pigmentation occurs only in one case - before mating. There are no other reasons for changing the color of feathers. Beautiful idea for L "Oreal and Maybelline.

Snakes: Big Orgy

When it comes to snakes, group sex ceases to be a fantasy, it becomes a reality. During the marriage season, the Snake females have sex with hundreds of partners, mating to the so-called "tangles".

DIKOWS: Dominance

The ritual of the pairing of the dickery can be called dominance, and you can even with non-statutory relationships. Male dicking is necessarily overlooking the female before starting mating.

Elephants: Solid Romance

Who said that the knights no longer. Elephant-male to lean the female to mating, care for her about a week. Flowers and chocolate in the program, of course, are not included, but the male brings the lady of the heart different goodies and suits her shower.

Dolphins: Gay community

Dolphins are a fairly progressive view of living beings. They are considered one of the smartest animals on Earth. And recently it turned out that they join gay contacts. Dolphins-males actively practice sex with male relatives, experimenting with various holes.

Ducks: Rape is inevitable

Some types of animals do not see anything disgusting in rape. The size of the penis of the spleen is so great that he can well have sex with a female without her consent. However, the female duck has a protective mechanism - it is possible to store sperm in the side chamber and it will get rid of it if it is not satisfied. Zoologists believe that female ducks evolved due to the threat of undesirable sex.

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Elephant unique animal. His difference from other mammals is so big that scientists have identified it in a separate detachment - probable, in which only 2 types.

The main thing is that you immediately pay attention to the huge size of the elephant. This is the largest animal from now living on Earth.

Now in nature, only two types of elephants are preserved: African and Indian.

Many wonder: how much is the elephant weigh?

The growth of the Indian elephant from the ground to the withers is about 2-2.5 meters, and the weight ranges from 3 to 5 tons.

African elephant is much larger than its relative. It weighs 6-7 tons, and its growth reaches 4 meters. There are also larger African elephants - real giants, with a mass of body in 10-11 tons.

Description

The elephants have a very massive torso, the head is quite large, thick and powerful legs. Ears reach impressive sizes, but the eyes, on the contrary, are small.

Ears help animals in hot weather. Having foaming them, they reach the cooling effect.

Elephants are distinguished by an excellent hearing, but the vision for distant distances they have not very good.

The elephants have no wool, the body of the animal is covered with skin of gray or brown, thick up to 2.5 cm, with deep wrinkles. Young elephants are born with a rare bristle, and in adults it is generally absent.

Another difference of the elephant is his inability to jump. It's all about the leg, which has 2 knee cups. Elephants move, despite their huge weight, almost silently.

The reason for this is a fat pillow, located in the center of the foot, which springs with each pitch of the animal.

And finally, the trunk of an elephant. This body is formed by the battle of the nose and the upper lip, consists of tendons and many muscles that make it simultaneously very strong and flexible. It reaches length to 1.5 meters and weighs about 150 kg.

The trunk performs several essential functions at once. With it, the elephants take food, pour themselves with water and communicate with each other, and also bring up a young!

On both sides of the trunk there are tissue. They continue to grow all their life, so it is not difficult to determine the age of the animal.

The larger and more powerful than the beer, the older elephant. The average life expectancy of the elephant is about 70 years.

Elephants are beautiful swimmers who adore water procedures. They also run enough quickly for short distances. Running speed can reach 45-50 kilometers per hour.

The tail, the tip of which frame rigid hair, animal distinguishes annoying insects.

Accordingly, its size, the elephant drinks a lot and eats, eating up to 300 kg of vegetation per day and drinking from 100 to 300 liters of water. Elephants absorb food about 2/3 of their lives.

The diet of their nutrition is quite large: the leaves and bark of trees, grass, a variety of fruits and vegetables, corn, butat and other agricultural land.

Also elephants love bread, bran, oats and boiled potatoes.

Reproduction of elephants

Elephants are very friendly animals. Usually they form a family, which includes the main female, as well as her daughters, sisters and males who have not yet reached puberty.

I must say, elephants in the family associate real relational relations. They always help and care about each other.

Usually, the sexual ripening of elephant females occurs by 12 years, and by 15-16 they are quite prepared for the tooling offspring. The males leave the family aged 15-20 years and carry a single lifestyle, but for life they keep in touch with their relatives, sometimes visiting them.

Animal reproduction occurs at any time of the year. When the female is ready for mating, the male feels and comes to the herd.

At the usual time, the elephant males are quite friendly to each other. But during the pairing period, they arrange battles, and only the winner is allowed to the female.

Pregnancy in females of elephants continues for a very long time - from 20 to 22 months. Births occur surrounded by the family. The female of the herd helps the guinea, surrounding and protecting it from any danger.

Most often one elephant appears on the light, it is rarely twins. The cub stands on the legs after 2-3 hours after the appearance of the light and feeds on the mother's milk.

A few days later, the baby travels everywhere together with the herd, grasping mom for the tail. It should be noted that all lactating females take part in the feeding of the kid.

Elephant killed milk up to one and a half or two years. Six months later, vegetable food is added to the milk.

As with people, the elephants have right-handers and left-handers, depending on this one of the beer of the elephants is used more than the other.

Elephants do not sweat, as they have no sebaceous glands. However, they are capable of lowering the body temperature by dummoning water and foaming ears.

Elephants are easily trained and trained. In antiquity they were often used in battles and as labor.

Adult elephants practically do not have enemies among the beasts. But the cubs should be feared lions and crocodiles. However, adult elephants always care and guard their offspring.

The only and largest enemies are poachers whose fishing led to a sharp decrease in the population of these animals.

Elephants are patient even to poor handling of their owners. However, long stress they often lead to a nervous breakdown. Then the animal literally flows into rabies and begins to twist everything close to him.

Elephants occupy one of the first places among the most intelligent animals on our planet. They possess excellent memory, remember the insults and trouble that they have caused a person, as well as places of meaningful events.

Elephants have strategic thinking. In Thailand, there was a whole "gang" of elephants, lifting trucks passing along the National Park, and the fruit dragging them. Lovers even managed to get photos of elephants carrying fruit from a truck.

Scientists conducted a study and found out that the elephants are sleeping less than all mammals. According to the biologists who study this topic, elephants to maintain normal livelihoods quite grabs two hours of sleep per day. Despite this, animals do not suffer from lack of sleep and fatigue.

Photo of elephants

The name of this amazing animal has long become nominative. "As an elephant in the dishwasher" and many other winged expressions, aphorisms, proverbs, are associated with elephants exist in our culture. And no accident, because the elephant is perhaps one of the most interesting representatives of the animal world of our planet, and also one of the largest. More precisely, the elephant is the largest among all terrestrial animal species. About him our today's article.

Elephant: description, structure, characteristic. What does an elephant look like?

Elephants will truly look giants among other animals. The elephant height is 2-4 m, with a weight of 3 to 7 tons. At the same time, elephants living in Africa larger than Elephants of Asia, some particularly large African savannah elephants can weigh all 10-12 tons. The body of an elephant mighty, it is covered with thick leather brown or gray with deep wrinkles. The thickness of the elephant is an average of 2.5 cm, it is not for nothing that it also became one of the nominal symbols of this creature, "fat-fledged as an elephant" say, sometimes characterizing a person who is difficult to hurt or offend.

Also elephants, in contrast to their closest relatives of Mammoths (unfortunately extinct) practically do not have vegetation on the body.

The head of the elephant is very large, with large branded ears. Such sizes of the ears of nature gave elephants not only for beauty, but they also play one very useful function - regulate thermal exchange. Outping ears allows elephants to increase the cooling effect.

The thick legs of the elephant have two knee cups, and such a structure of their feet makes an elephant of the only ground animal, which is unable to jump (however, elephants in jumps and no need). In the center of the foot there is a special fat pillow, which springs at every step, it is it that allows elephants to move almost silently. But what is the most interesting thing is that the sole of the elephant's legs at the occurrence of the Earth will expand sharply, thereby increasing the supporting surface, and again narrows when the elephant raises the leg up. Such a mechanism allows these difficult giants without much difficulty moving around, including in the swampy terrain, without visiting the swamps.

The trunk of an elephant is another unique feature of this animal, his business card. In fact, the trunk of the elephants is formed by a nose that accrete with the upper lip. 100 muscles + tendons that elephant trunk possesses makes it strong and flexible. For elephants, the trunk has a number of important functions (as a whole, the trunk is about it, too, that hands for us) - with it, they take food, water themselves with water, communicate with each other and even raise offspring. Also, the trunk provides elephants an olfactory and touch.

But the beer of the elephant is another important attribute of this animal to some extent and its curse. The fact is that the high value of the ivory at one time led to the mass extermination of elephants with hunters and poachers. But we will not be about sad, the tissue of the elephant is growing throughout his life and what they are stronger and more powerful, the older is an elephant.

Also, the elephants have a tail, it is the same length as the rear paws. The tip of the tail of the elephant is framed hard hair, they help drive the annoying insects.

Interesting fact: all elephants love and know how to swim. Also, despite its impressive sizes and seemingly badness, when they run, they can develop speed up to 50 km per hour.

How many elephants live

The life expectancy of elephants is about the same as we, people, on average elephants live to 70 years.

Where elephants live

Elephants have two main habitat: Africa and Asia, as we wrote above African elephants larger than Asian and more wildly, we will dwell on each form of elephants.

What no elephants eat

Given the huge size of elephants, these giants need a large amount of food. Approximately 16 hours a day of the elephants are occupied by the absorption of food, on average, the elephant eats 300 kg of vegetation. Food for herbivore giants serves her grass, rhizomes, leaves of trees, the fruits of wild bananas, apples. The migration of African elephants are associated with the search for food, usually a flock of elephants are on a certain territory until it is completely empty, and already when the whole grass, all the leaves will be eaten around, the elephants are put forward in the search for new pastures with juicy vegetation. Sometimes the elephants also cause substantial damage to sowing corn, batte and other crops. Food elephants are taken with the help of a trunk, but are chewed with indigenous teeth.

Also, elephants are not only eating a lot, but no less drink. During the day, an adult elephant drinks from 100 to 300 liters of water. It is not surprising that elephants are always near reservoirs.

Enemies elephants

Given their size and the power of enemies in elephants in natural conditions is not. The only thing that works them is different annoying insects, from which thick skin helps, and foiling tail.

Nevertheless, the main enemy of the elephants is, of course, a person, the wines of the entire beer of the elephant, which are very highly appreciated, precisely because of this in the past twentieth century, the population of Africa's elephants decreased simply in the catastrophic pace. Partly in the extermination of these giants tried "enlightened" white hunters, going to Africa on the Hunting Safari. Elephant, which is included in the so-called "Big African Five" was the desired prey of white hunters. Fortunately, now, instead of hunting safaris, tourists are more sent to the photo of safaris, elephants are now under the protection of a number of African states and live in special national parks, where the hunting for wild animals is strictly prohibited.

Species of elephants, photos and titles

All elephants depending on the habitat are divided into African and Asian, moreover, African elephants in turn are divided into savanna and forest elephants, then we will stop in detail.

This is the largest representative of the elephant family. It lives in African Savans along the equator for all Africa. It has a dark color, strong tissue and processes on the edge of the trunk.

This African elephant is somewhat less than its savannah relative. It has a rounded outfit. It dwells in tropical African forests.

Asia Indian elephant is the only representative of the elephant family in these places. Despite its name, the Indian elephant lives not only in India, but also many other neighboring countries: Burma, Thailand, China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brune, Indonesia. Indian elephant sizes less than a savanna, its distinctive feature are small oars of quadrangular shape and processes at the end of the trunk.

And these elephants, in contrast to African fellow, were tamed by a person, ancient times, the rich Indian Raji moved on the elephants, and the warriors used elephants, including in combat purposes. In the wars of the ancient world, such a combat elephant was similar to the modern tank.

Reproduction of elephants

Elephants live with family herds, an average of 9-12 individuals, where the leadership is the oldest female. Yes, the matriarchy dominates in the elephant family. The sexual maturity in females of elephants occurs in 12-14 years (exactly like people), and by the age of 16, the elephant is already capable of entering young.

As for males, after the achievements of sex maturity at the age of 15-20 years, they leave their native herds and become alone elephants. In certain marriage periods, feeling the readiness of females to mating, the elephant of the male comes to the herd and begins to care for the elephant you like. In this period, clashes often arise between the males' elephants, and then the desired elephant gets the most severe Uhager.

Elephant pregnancy lasts 20-22 months, childbirth pass in the society of other females from herd, they carefully surround the mother and a newborn baby, protecting against accidental danger. It is usually born only one elephant, in very rare cases there may be twins. Born elephant usually has the weight near the centner. Elephant develops very quickly, after a month he walks and sucks maternal milk, traveling with relatives, grabbing his trunk for the mother's tail. Up to two years, the elephant is fell by maternal milk, and, which is interesting, to feed the elephant can not only his mother, but also the other lactating elephant.

Why are the elephants afraid of mice?

It would seem an amazing paradox of nature, a mighty giant elephant is afraid of a small mouse. In fact, there is no, since the fear of an elephant mice, which became "proverbs in the languages" in reality, no more than a myth, legend, since the elephants are not afraid, the employees of zoos are well known about this, the local elephants are completely indifferent to small rodents and not Pay any attention to them.

But where do roots come from this fun legend? There is a version that the elephants are afraid of mice, because in the old days mice there were so much that they were drunk to attack the elephant legs, and even managed to load the bones of the limbs of elephants. But this is just an explanation of a legend that does not have a real base.

Why is an elephant long nose?

Long elephant trunk, he also became food for many myths and legends. So, for example, one instructive African fairy tale tells us about a curious elephant, who wants to know who lives in a swamp caught in the mouth to the crocodile. The crocodile grabbed the elephant on his nose, wanting to drag into his water, the elephant was resting with all his might and eventually escaped from the mouth of the crocodile, only his nose after him became long-long and turned into a trunk. And with those under these, all the elephants have long trunks as the result of curiosity of that elephant, which shouted his nose where it should not be.

In fact, the trunk at the elephants was formed gradually as a result of millions of years of evolution. And what is interesting, young elephant for several months is trained in the art of managing their trunk.

• Among the elephants, as among people, there are right-handedles and left-handers.
• Elephants do not sweat, since they simply do not have sebaceous glands. Water procedures and mud baths that love elephants help them reduce body temperature.
• Elephants, along with dolphins and are included in the list of the most intelligent animals on the planet, they have excellent memory, remember the resentment and places of important events, possess advocacy developed by emotional experiences, are able to rejoice, sad, empathize with their loved ones.
• Domesticated elephants are good in nature, they are patient and bleeders. But if the elephant is to bring (and for this you need to try well) it will not be sweet, when the elephant as a result of a long stress or strong emotional experiences falls into rabies, he begins to twist everything around him.

Elephants, video

And at the end of an interesting documentary film "Life of the African Elephant Family".

Elephants (Elephantidae)- Huge, strengths, smart and sociable mammals. For many centuries, humanity was affected by their sizes - the males of the African species can reach 7,500 kilograms. Elephants are surprised by their long and flexible noses, large and clapping ears, as well as loose and wrinkled skin. They belong to the most famous animal of the world. There are many stories and films about elephants - you probably heard about Horton, King Babar and the baby Dambo.

Appearance

Ears

Ears in elephants, except for their direct destination, also act as an air conditioner. In the hot time, elephants are mashed them, and thereby cooled the blood in the ears, which, thanks to the numerous blood vessels, cools the whole body of the animal.

Leather

The term "thick-skinned" comes from the Greek word "PACHYDERMOS", meaning "thick skin". The thickness of the skin in some parts of the body can reach 2.54 cm. The skin is linked to the body, which creates the visibility of baggy pants. The benefits of thick skin lies in the deduction of moisture, as the duration of evaporation and the body remains cooled longer. Despite the thickness of the skin, the elephants are very sensitive to touches and sunburns. To protect against bloodsowing insects and the Sun, they often water themselves with water, and also ride in the mud.

Tabs and teeth

The tissue at the elephant is located on the upper jaw and serve as the only cutters. They are used to protect, mining food, as well as to raise items. The beer is present at birth and are milk teeth, which fall out after a year, when the length is 5 cm. Permanent tails go beyond the lips after 2-3 years and grown throughout life. Talnia consists of ivory (dentin), with an outer layer of enamel, and a kind of form creates a special shine, which distinguishes the beer of elephants from other mammals, such as warts, walruses and couch. Often, African elephants die from the hands of poachers only because of the wrist.

Elephants also have indigenous teeth are located on both jaws on both sides. One native tooth can weigh about 2.3 kilograms and be a brick size. Each elephant changes to 6 sets of teeth for their lives. New teeth do not grow vertically, like most mammals, and climb from behind, while old and worn pushed forward. In old age, the indigenous teeth elephants are sensitive and erased, so they prefer to eat softer food. In this case, the swamps are perfect places where soft vegetation grows. In such territories, it is often possible to meet old individuals who remain there until their death. This circumstance forced some people to believe that elephants are sent to special places to die.

Trunk

The trunk of an elephant simultaneously protrudes the top lip and nose. On each side of the trunk there are 8 major muscles, and about 150,000 muscle beams (muscle fractions) are located along the entire length. There are no bones and cartilage on this unique appendering. It is so strong that it may lower the trunk of the tree down and so agitated that it is capable of choosing only one straw. Elephants use their trunks as we hands: capture, hold, raise, touch, pull, pushed and throw.

The trunk also performs the nasal functions. It has two nostrils, for suction air, in long nose passages, in the lungs. Elephants apply their trunk trunk, but the water does not pass all the way to the nose as in the straw, instead, it is delayed in the trunk, and then the elephant lifts his head and pours water into the mouth.

Habitat

Asian elephants live in Nepal, India and part of Southeast Asia. The main habitat is low and tropical forests. In the arid months are often found off the coast of rivers.

The African Bush Elephants (Savanted Elephants) lives in the eastern, central and southern parts of Africa, prefer low and mountain forests, rivers floodplains, all types of wooded terrain and savanna. Forest elephants are found in the Congo River basins and in West Africa, in wet, semi-deciduous rainforests.

The largest elephant

The record of the largest elephant received an adult male of an African elephant. It weighed about 12,240 kilograms and reached 3.96 meters in height to the shoulders. Most animals do not grow up to such sizes, but African savannah elephants on dimensions are much larger than Asian.

Big appetite

An elephant's diet includes all types of vegetation, from grass and fruit to leaves and bark. Daily, these huge animals consume 75-50 kilograms of food, which is 4-6% of their body weight. On average, they are fought for up to 16 hours a day. Savanted elephants Herbivores and feed on the grass, including sediment, blooming plants, leaf of bushes. Forest elephants prefer leaves, fruits, seeds, branches and bark. Asian elephants have a mixed diet, during the arid period and after heavy rains, shrubs and small trees use, and after the first part of the rainy season, grass can be enjoyed. Also, Asian elephants may have different types of plants depending on the season, branches and bark.

Life in the flock

Elephants live in close social groups, which are called herds, as a rule, consist of females and their offspring. The main leader of the herd is the most experienced and adult female, so the matriarchy reigns in the elephant family. The leader of the herd remembers how to find a path to food and water, while avoiding predators, and knows the best places for shelter. Also, the main female has the right to train younger individuals of the rules of behavior in society. In some cases, the group may consist of one of the sisters of the main leader and its offspring. When the number of individuals in the group becomes large, a new herd is formed, while they can support free relationship with other associations.

Adult males usually do not live in herd. After finding independence from the mother, the males leave the herd and live alone or with other bachelors. The males can visit the herd of females only throughout the short time for breeding. They do not participate in the upbringing of their offspring.

Etiquette is an important composite elephant society. The trunk can stretch out to another elephant for greeting to show affection, hug, during the struggle and verification of the reproductive state.

Offspring

At birth, the height of the elephant is about a meter, and the weight is 55-120 kg. As a rule, kids are born with hair cover, a short trunk and directly depends on the mother and other members of the herd. They do not need trot, as milk, from mother, enters the mouth. Elephant try to keep as close as possible to mom or other nursing female. During the first year of life, on average, they are gaining 1-1.3 kilograms of weight per day. If the baby was in a distressed position, other members of the herd, often come to the rescue.

Despite continuous tooling and protection, elephant should be gradually moving around the social stages of the herd and establish their position in it. Young spend their days while studying walking on four legs in one direction, try to cope with huge ears and master the work of the trunk. At first they are very clumsy, but all the time learn to control their body. Upon reaching 2-3 years of age, the elephant stopped feeding the mother's milk.

Enemies

What animals carry a threat to elephants? Not many! Elephant can become potential food for hyenas, lions, leopards or crocodiles, but while they are near mom, do not worry. If the elephant feels an approaching danger, then loud sound (alarm) is published to prevent the rest. To combat a potential predator, the flock forms a protective ring from adults, while the kids are in the middle. For an adult elephant, the chief enemy is a poacher with a rifle.

Sounds

Elephants make many different sounds, but some of them human ears are not able to catch as they are low-frequency. Elephants use these sounds to communicate with each other at large distances. Have you had a stomach lever at the most inopportune moment? For an elephant society, this is a long-awaited sound that signals other elephants that "everything is in order".

Views

There are two kinds of elephants: African and Asian. African genus is divided into two types: a saved elephant and a forest elephant, and an Asian or Indian elephant is the only view of its kind. There are still discussions on how many really and what kind of elephants are. More details about African and Asian elephants are written below.

African elephant

Security status: is in a vulnerable position.

African elephants are the world's largest ground animals. Their trunk is a continuation of the upper lip and nose and is used to communicate with other individuals, relieve items and for food. African elephants in contrast to Asian have two branches at the end of the trunk. The beeves that grow throughout life are observed both in males and females, used in battles, for digging, as well as food. Another remarkable feature of African elephants are their huge ears that allow cooling a huge body.

To date, two types of African elephants stand out:

Savane or Bush Elephant LOXODONTA AFRICANA);

Forest elephant Loxodonta Cyclotis.

Saved type of larger size than forest and has twisted todals. At the same time, the forest elephant is a darker color with straight, downstream testers. There are also differences in the size and shape of the skull and skeleton.

Social Structure

The social structure of elephants is organized around the herd, consisting of associated females and their offspring. Savanted elephant, each family unit includes about 10 individuals, although there are also associations of these family units - "clans", which can accommodate 70 individuals. Forest elephants live in small family associations. The herds can form temporary accumulations of elephants, with a number of about 1000 individuals, mainly in East Africa. These associations occur during drought period due to human intervention or any other changes that worsen the standard model of existence. In the threat, the elephants create a ring around the young and the matriarch (main females), which can be attacked. Young elephants remain with her mother for many years, and also get care from other females from herd.

Life cycle

As a rule, one cub is born in a female, once every 2.5-9 years, at the beginning of the rainy season. Pregnancy lasts 22 months. Young are on breastfeeding 6-18 months, although there are events of feeding up to 6 years. The males leave the female after mating and, as a rule, form alliances with other males. The life expectancy of African elephants can be 70 years. Fertily age of females occurs in 25 years, lasts up to 45 years. The males need to reach 20 years of age to successfully compete for female with other males.

Ration

African elephants prefer to eat leaves, branches of bushes and trees, but maybe there is grass, fruit and bark.

Historic habitat and population

The habitat of the African elephant hesitated in most Africa countries, from the coast of the Mediterranean to the south of the continent. As scientists believed, from 1930 to 1940s, there were more than 3-5 million individuals of the African Elephant. Nevertheless, as a result of intensive hunting to obtain trophies and a tightness, the population of the species began to decline significantly since 1950. It was estimated that in the 1980s, 100,000 individuals were killed, and in some regions, up to 80% of elephants were killed. On the territory of Kenya fell a population of 85% in the period between 1973 and 1989.

Number of population and distribution current time

The forest view is common in the rainforest zone in the West and in the center of Africa, where there are relatively large areas of the thick forest. Savana elephant lives in the east and south of Africa. Most of the species focuses in Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa.

A significant number of elephants are devoid of well protected areas - less than 20% is protected. In most countries in West Africa, the population calculation is carried out by all hundreds or dozens of individuals living with small groups in an isolated forest. Unlike the West of the continent, the population of elephants in the south more and gradually increases - more than 300,000 elephants are now in between subregions.

Threats

Elephants continue to wander throughout Africa. But these magnificent animals are under threat of disappearance due to poaching and loss of habitats. The population of elephants on the territory of all Africa is in different state, some are under the great threat of extinction, while others safe. South Africa has become the main support for elephants, on its territory, the number of individuals gradually increases.

Significant elephant populations are separated from well protected areas in which only a small amount of animals lives. An African elephant threatens illegal meat hunting and elephant bone, habitat loss, conflicts with man. Most countries do not have sufficient potential to protect the African Elephant. In the absence of actions to preserve, in some parts of Africa for 50 years, elephants can become extinct animals.

In the early 1970s, the demand for elephant bone has grown, and the amount of bone exported from Africa has reached a critical level. Most of the goods left the territory of Africa was recognized as illegal, and about 80% amounted to raw meat of killed elephants. This illegal trade has become a moving factor in reducing the population of the African elephant from 3-5 million to the current level.

In 1989, the "Convention on International Trafficking in Wild Fauna and Flora" forbidden an international trade in ivory to combat the mass illegal trade. After the ban's entry into force, in 1990 some of the main ivory markets were eliminated. As a result, illegal murders have sharply decreased in some Africa, especially in places where the elephants were not protected properly. This fact made it possible to recover the population of the African Elephant.

However, in countries where protection authorities receive insufficient financing for fighting poaching, the problem becomes essential. Uncontrolled domestic markets for the sale of ivory in a number of states continue to grow. In addition, an increase in land use pressure on an elephant population, reducing the budget of protection authorities, continuing poaching due to bones and meat elephants, retained the illegal murder of elephants common in some regions.

The uneven distribution of the population created disagreements to preserve the African Elephant. Some people are mostly residents of southern countries, where the number of elephant increases, it is believed that legal support and control of ivory trade can bring significant economic benefits without jeopardizing the preservation of the species. Others oppose Corruption and the lack of law enforcement agencies will not allow to control reasonable trade. Therefore, illegal trade in ivory remains a real threat to the African Elephant, and the concern for the preservation of the population is considered a priority task.

Since the habitat of an elephant goes beyond the protected areas, and the rapid growth of the human population and the expansion of agriculture, increasingly reduce the habitats of the elephants. In this regard, there is a conflict between a person and an elephant. The borders of farms do not allow elephants to go through migration corridors. The consequence is the destruction or damage to crops and small villages. The inevitable loss occurs on both sides, as people lose their funds from behind the elephants necessary for existence, and the elephants lose their habitats, for which they often lose their lives. The human population continues to grow throughout the elephants, which threatens the reduction of habitats, being a major threat.

The more we learn about the elephants, the more the need to preserve them increase. It is necessary to inspire the current generation to help preserve these beautiful animal inhabitants for our future generations.

Asian elephant

Security status: extinct views.
Listed in the Red Book of the International Nature Conservation Union

The Holy Asian Elephant, who was worshiped for many centuries, is still used for solemn and religious purposes. It is honored not only for the role in Asian culture, but also for being one of the key biological species in the rainforest of Asia. Although thousands of domesticated elephants are located in Southeast Asia, this magnificent animal threatens disappearance in the wild, associated with the rapidly growing population of a person who displaces elephants from the familiar habitat.

Wild populations of elephants are small, as ancient migration routes are cut off by the settlements, they cannot be reunited with other elephant groups. The collision between elephants and people often lead to the death of both sides. To date, widespread problems are: illegal poaching, ivory trade, meat and skin.

Description

The Asian elephant is considered the largest land mammal in Asia. He has relatively small ears, a single finger-shaped process at the end of a trunk, while the African Elephant has two processes. A significant amount of males of the Asian elephant has no tissue, and the percentage of males, which have it depends on the region - about 5% in Sri Lanka and up to 90% in southern India. Asian elephants constantly hold their ears in motion for cooling the body. They have a well-developed rumor, vision, smell, and are also beautiful swimmers. Dimensions: body length is 550-640 cm, height growth - 250-300 cm, weight of about 5000 kg. Color: varies from dark gray to brown, with pink splashes on the forehead, ears, chest and at the base of the trunk.

Social Structure

Asian elephants have a close social structure. The females are combined into groups of 6-7 connected individuals, at the head of the matriarchy females. As with African elephants, some groups can join others in order to form large herds that are relatively short-term.

Life cycle

According to observers, the young of the Asian elephant can become on their feet immediately after birth, and after a few months they begin to eat grass and leaves. Under the care of Mother, kids remain within a few years, and begin to move independently after 4 years. At the age of 17, elephants reach their final sizes. Both sex become half-arms aged 9 years, but males usually do not begin sex life until 14-15 years old and even at this age they are not capable of social dominance, which is the necessary composite successful reproductive activity.

Reproduction

In favorable habitat conditions, the female can give birth to a cub every 2.5-4 years, otherwise it happens every 5-8 years.

Ration

More than two third days of the elephants spend eating herbs, the bark of trees, roots, leaves and small stems. Such cultures like bananas, rice and sugar cane are preferred products. Drink Asian elephants should at least once a day, so they are always near fresh water sources.

Population and distribution

Initially, the habitat territory ranged from modern Iraq and Syria to the Chinese "Yellow River" Juanhe, but now they are found only from India to Vietnam, with a tiny population who have seen in the south-west of the Chinese province Yunnan. According to estimates, at the beginning of the 20th century there were more than 100,000 individuals of the Asian elephant. And over the past 60-75 years, the population has decreased at least 50%.

Threats

The continuously growing human population of the tropical part of Asia has encroached into a thick, but reduced forest habitat of elephants. About 20% of the world's population lives inside or near the range of the spread of an Asian elephant. Competition for the residential area led to a significant loss of forest cover, as well as a decrease in the livestock of the Asian Elephant - 25,600-32,750 individuals in the wild.

The population of the Asian Elephant has increased fragmentation, which is a significant decrease in the chances of survival, since in the context of the growing population of people, development projects based on the construction of dams, roads, mines, industrial complexes, settlements are created. Most national parks and reserves, where elephants dwell, are too small to accommodate all viable populations. Transforming forest land in agricultural leads to serious conflicts of people and elephants. Every year in India, elephants kill up to 300 people.

At the Asian elephants, only males have a taper and therefore poaching is directed to them. The killing of elephants for ivory and meat remains a serious problem in many countries, especially in southern India (where 90% of elephants are potential victims) and in Northeast India, where some people feed on the elephant meat. From 1995 to 1996, the hidden poaching on the bones and meat of Asian elephants increased. Illegal trading across the border of Thailand and Myanmar with alive elephants, their bones, and the skin also became a big problem of preserving the form. In 1997, seven years after the ban of trade in ivory, illegal sales remained on the territory of the Far East, while South Korea, China and Taiwan remained the main markets. Nevertheless, most of this illegal product came from Africa, not from Asian elephants.

The deprivation of freedom of wild elephants for home retention has become a threat to wild populations, the number of which has decreased significantly. The Government of India, Vietnam and Myanmar banned the seizure, in order to preserve wild stadium, but in Myanmar, elephant annually captured for use in the forest industry or illegal trade. Unfortunately, coarse methods of fishing led to a high mortality rate. Efforts are made not only to increase the level of safety, but also for breeding elephants in captivity. Considering that almost 30% of elephants live in captivity, it is necessary to increase their number by reintroduction of individuals in the wild.

Facts about elephants

• Life duration: about 30 years in the wild and about 50 years in captivity.
• Pregnancy: from 20 to 22 months.
• The number of young at birth: 1.
• Sex maturity 13-20 years.
• Size: females on average 2.4 meters high to shoulders, and males - 3-3.2 meters.
• Weight: the female of the African elephant weighs up to 3,600 kg, and the male - 6800 kg. The female of the Asian elephant on average weighs 2720 kg, and the male - 5400 kg.
• Birth weight: 55-120 kg.
• Birth growth: 66-107 centimeters to shoulders.
• An elephant skin is so sensitive that the animal can feel the touch of flies.
• Low, loud calls of one elephant can be heard by others at a distance of 8 kilometers.
• Elephants suffer because of the hunting on their tissue, which consist of dentin, like our teeth.
• On Andaman Islands (India), elephants float over the sea between the islands.
• The skull of the elephant weighs about 52 kilograms.
• Elephants are mostly one of their testes. Therefore, one is often worn more than the other.
• 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 druising with water, as well as mud baths, are an important composite skin care.
• Unlike other mammals, elephants are growing throughout their lives.
• Do the elephants be afraid of mice? Most likely, small animals are annoyed, so they are trying to scare them or crush them.
• Elephants can memorize good and bad things. Especially in zoos, they can memorize people who have done something good for them or vice versa.
• The elephants are sleeping in the position lying for several hours, at the same time, as was noticed by the employees of zoos, they can even snore.
• An African elephant, weighing about 6,300 kilograms, is able to transfer up to 9000 kilograms.

Elephants are the largest ground mammals on our planet. The most famous types of elephant family are African and Asian (Indian) elephants. They live on different continents, but lead almost the same lifestyle.

Where are the elephants inhabit?

Habitat African Elephant

Once african Elephants inhabited almost the entire African continent. The habitat of the elephants was extended from the North to the south of the whole mainland. Back in the 6th century, our ERT, the northern population of elephants was completely exterminated.

In the XXI century, the population of the African elephant is preserved in the southern, western, eastern and central countries of Africa, namely: Namibia, Tanzania, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa, Mali, Botswana, Ethiopia, Chad, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana, Niger, Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, Liberia, Cameroon, Benin, Sierra Leone, Togo, Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Eritrea , Gabon, Swaziland, King, Equatorial Guinea. Most of the livestock, in these countries, lives in the territories of nature reserves and national parks. Going beyond the reserves, the elephants often become mining poachers.

African elephants live on different landscapes, avoiding only deserts and rainforest. The main priorities for the choice of elephant accommodation are such criteria: the presence of feed resources, water and shadows.

About the diet of elephants read in the article.

Where does the Indian Elephant live?

Indian The elephant was distributed throughout South Asia. In the wild environment, he lived along the Tiger Rivers and Euphrates up to the Malay Peninsula. Some flocks were distributed even near the Himalayas and along the Yangtze River, which in China. In addition to mainland asia, elephants dwell on the islands of Sumatra, Sri Lanka and Java.

Now asiatic Elephant meets in the wild only partially in Northeast and South India, Sri Lanka Island, Thailand, Malaysia (O. Coreno), Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia (O.Sumatra), China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar, Brune and Laos.

Unlike its African conifers, Indian elephants prefer to settle in tropical and subtropical forests with dense shrubs and bamboo thickets. Sometimes in the cold season, it goes into the steppe, but maybe it is only in reserves, since the remaining steppes became agricultural grounds. In the warm time, elephants on forest slopes migrate to the Himalayas and are found at an altitude of up to 3,500 meters above sea level.