March 24, 2023
By Sonakshi Kandhari
Baby elephants, also called calves, are adored for their playfulness and friendliness. Videos of their antics receive enormous traction on social media. Knowing 10 lesser-known facts about baby elephants will make you fall even more in love with them.
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Baby elephants lose their tusks in one year, just like humans lose their milk teeth. The growth of the new one begins at age 2 and continues until it is fully developed.
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The method of using the trunk doesn’t come naturally to a baby elephant. The trunk lacks muscle strength when they are young. It is strengthened through swinging and playing activities.
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Since an adult elephant is pregnant for nearly two years, a baby elephant’s brain is developed in this time frame. Hence, a baby elephant can stand and walk within a few minutes of its birth.
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Just like human babies, elephants use this as a mechanism to soothe themselves. But besides that, it also helps with strengthening their trunk muscles and appendages.
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Around 2–99% of elephants deliver their babies at night. Researchers believe this is done because it is much calmer at night and protecting them from enemies becomes easier.
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This is not just due to their size; it is also due to their intellectual development. With a brain that’s three times the size of a human being’s brain, an elephant never forgets.
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Despite the lengthy gestation period, a baby elephant is born blind. Hence they depend on their mothers and rely on the support of their trunks.
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With the grasslands being their habitat, they deal with hot weather. The adult elephants protect them from the heat and the dirt with the help of their trunks.
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Being the largest land animal, it is not a shock that they weigh 250 pounds at birth. Their height is the same as that of a 4-year-old child.
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Baby elephants are born into a herd of 8–100 elephants. They trumpet and ramble to communicate with herd members. And they express affection with a physical touch.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons