Categories
Elephant behaviors Questions & Answers (FAQs)

Why Do Elephants Throw Dirt On Themselves?

Elephant throwing dirt on himself in the desert.

When you see an elephant, you might wonder what it’s thinking. They’re among the largest land animals on Earth, but they also have some of the strangest behavior.

An elephant can lift a tree with its trunk, or run around, knock things over, and throw dirt. But is there a good explanation for why elephants like throwing dirt on themselves, and for all these other strange activities?

In fact, almost everything an elephant does is related to staying healthy and protecting themselves against the elements.

An elephant is one of the most fascinating animals in the world. They are known for their size and their intelligence, and social behaviors.

What exactly is the reason why elephants throw dirt on themselves, why the dust bathing? There must be some sort of logic behind it all. Let’s take a closer look.

Continue reading “Why Do Elephants Throw Dirt On Themselves?”
Categories
Elephant behaviors Questions & Answers (FAQs)

Why Do Elephants Flap Their Ears?

Close up of Elephant flapping ears

When you think of an elephant, the first thing that probably comes to mind is that they are big animals, either Asian elephants or African elephants.

Though you might not know it by looking at them, elephants are also smart and expressive animals. In fact, they have their own unique set of mannerisms that we humans often find quite endearing!

If you take a look closely, elephants flap their large ears from time to time. But why do elephants flap their ears? Do they flap their ears because they’re trying to keep cool?

Or is there perhaps some other explanation behind why they do this so frequently?

Let’s take a look at some interesting things about why elephants flap their ears!

Continue reading “Why Do Elephants Flap Their Ears?”
Categories
Anatomy Elephants in the wild

How Fast Can An Elephant Run?

Asian Elephant running through water

An elephant is an enormous animal with a large brain that can be found in sub saharan Africa, the indian subcontinent or other forest environments. They’re also pretty slow-moving in general.

Despite their massive anatomy, elephants are capable of surprising bursts of speed when necessary.

We all know that elephants are big and lumbering animals. But what you may not know is how fast an elephant can run when it needs to or what kind of speed can an elephant reach. After all, their safety is at risk when there are predators around trying to make a meal out of them.

In order to escape from potential threats, elephants should be able to read the situation quickly and respond just as fast by running away at high speeds.

Let’s take a look at how fast can an elephant run and what is their natural walking speed.

Continue reading “How Fast Can An Elephant Run?”
Categories
Anatomy Questions & Answers (FAQs)

What is the elephant trunk and what does it do for an elephant?

Elephant trunk FAQ

The elephant trunk is an extremely useful tool that elephants use for a variety of purposes. Elephants are one of the few animals in the world to have evolved specialized appendages, and their trunks are no exception.

Trunks can be used as weapons, trumpets, snorkels, or scoops to pick up various things from the ground. The trunk has over 100,000 muscles in it!

Continue reading “What is the elephant trunk and what does it do for an elephant?”
Categories
Anatomy Elephants in the wild Questions & Answers (FAQs)

Elephant Lifespan: How long do Elephants live?

The average lifespan of an elephant in the wild is around 50 to 70 years. A recent study had the median lifespan of an African elephant at 56 years. However, some African elephants have been known to live for up to 80 years.

Elephants are one of the longest-lived land animals. African elephants generally have a longer lifespan than Asian elephants. Female elephants tend to live longer than males.

Elephants in the wild face many dangers, such as predators, hunger, and disease. These factors can shorten their lifespan. Humans also pose a threat to elephants. Hunting and illegal poaching are major threats to wild populations.

In addition, habitat loss and fragmentation due to human activity can also reduce the lifespan of elephants.

Read on to find out more fascinating facts about the lifespan of Elephants.

Continue reading “Elephant Lifespan: How long do Elephants live?”
Categories
Elephant behaviors

Abnormal behaviors in Elephants; Swaying is normally linked to distress

There are some Elephants behaviors that can be said to be natural or stereotypical, but then there are some that are considered to be abnormal. The swaying of an Elephant is something that is often linked to distress, so if you see an Elephant swaying then it’s likely that something is wrong.

Other abnormal behaviors in Elephants include:

  • Playing with objects that aren’t toys
  • Obsessively chewing on things
  • Self-mutilation
  • Excessive shaking or twitching
  • Aggression towards people or other animals

However, it has also been noted that some captive elephants sway due to an instinctual need to keep balance. Swaying can also be a sign of physical discomfort, such as when an elephant is experiencing joint pain.

Trunk-in-air behaviour is another sign of distress in elephants. This is when an elephant lifts its trunk up in the air and waves it around, often while making a trumpeting sound.

This behaviour is usually only seen when an elephant is severely distressed or agitated.

Continue reading “Abnormal behaviors in Elephants; Swaying is normally linked to distress”
Categories
Elephant behaviors Elephants in the wild Questions & Answers (FAQs)

Can Elephants swim? They even swim underwater!

Elephants are known to be big and bulky animals. Many people think that they cannot move or swim very well because of just that, their size. However, elephants are excellent swimmers and capable of crossing rivers and even swimming underwater!

The largest ever recorded elephant swim was over 22 miles long and took place in India. The elephant trunk serves as a snorkel while they’re swimming, this helps them to breathe while they are underwater.

While most elephants live on land, there are some that live in swampy areas. These elephants have webbed feet that help them to swim through the water.

Elephants are amazing creatures and it is fascinating to learn about all of the things they can do! It is clear that they are not limited by their size, but rather, they are able to use their abilities to adapt to their environment and survive.

Read on for more amazing facts about why elephants can swim.

Continue reading “Can Elephants swim? They even swim underwater!”
Categories
Anatomy Elephant behaviors Elephants in the wild Questions & Answers (FAQs)

Why do Elephants have big ears? (hint: it goes beyond hearing)

For an elephant, their huge ears are crucial to their survival beyond only hearing.

The large size of the elephant ears allows them to regulate their body temperature, mainly to drop their body temperature during hot days.

Blood vessels in the ear are close to the surface, so when they need to cool down, they flap their ears to create airflow and release heat.

Read on to find out more reasons why the Elephants have such big ears as well as differences in ear size between the different species of Elephants.

Continue reading “Why do Elephants have big ears? (hint: it goes beyond hearing)”
Categories
Saving elephants

Everything you need to know about Adopting an Elephant

Most people know that adopting a pet is a great way to help an animal in need, but did you know that you can adopt an elephant? That’s right! By adopting an elephant through a reputable organization, you can help provide for the care and needs of these beautiful creatures.

Here are just a few of the many reasons why you should consider adopting an elephant:

  • Elephants are some of the largest and most majestic creatures on Earth, and they deserve our help.
  • Adopting an elephant helps to support conservation efforts for these animals.
  • Elephants are social animals, and they thrive when they have a herd to interact with. By adopting an elephant, you are providing him or her with a herd.
  • Adopting an elephant helps to raise awareness about the plight of these animals in the wild.

So, if you’re thinking about adopting a pet, why not consider an elephant? With your help, these animals can thrive and continue to grace our planet with their beauty.

Continue reading “Everything you need to know about Adopting an Elephant”
Categories
Diet & Nutrition Elephants in the wild Questions & Answers (FAQs)

Elephant Poo: Why these facts will ding-dung your mind

Elephant Poo from an African Elephant

Elephants produce up to 100 kg of dung each day. The average elephant will produce this by taking a poop 8-10 times per day. That’s a lot of poop, and it can tell us a lot about an elephant’s health and diet. Scientists even study elephant poo to learn about the animals’ behavior and social interactions.

Dung beetles also love elephant poo! These little critters can roll a piece of elephant dung up to 20 times their body weight. They use the dung as food and as a place to lay their eggs.

Elephants poo mainly consists of seeds, leaves, fruit, and grass. It also contains a lot of undigested food, which is why dung beetles and other smaller animals are so attracted to it.

Here are some more amazing facts about elephant poo that will ding-dung your mind.

Continue reading “Elephant Poo: Why these facts will ding-dung your mind”