Adrija Sen
August 11, 2022
On World Elephant Day, let’s celebrate our favourite pachyderm by learning some of the most unique and unknown facts about these gentle giants!
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Did you know that you can tell the species of an elephant from its ears? While the ears of the African elephant are large and described as being shaped like the African continent, the ears of Asian elephants are shaped like the Indian subcontinent!
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Asian elephants have been known to pick up a peanut, shell it, blow the shell out and eat the nut, all with their trunks. These majestic creatures also use their trunk to store up to 8 litres of water and use it as a snorkel when swimming!
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Elephant tusks are actually enlarged incisor teeth that start appearing when the elephant turns two and continue growing throughout their lives.
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An elephant’s skin is around 2.5 cm thick. The folds and wrinkles in their skin have the ability to retain up to 10 times more water than flat skin. This unique ability helps to cool them down from the heat of the tropical lands that they inhabit.
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Elephants are big on sharing! These creatures communicate in various ways like trumpet calls, infrasounds (inaudible to humans), body language, touch and scent. The most unique way they communicate is through seismic signals that create vibrations in the ground, which the elephants detect through their feet.
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Elephants need to eat around 150 kg of food per day, which means they can spend up to three-quarters of their day just eating! Elephants eat grass, leaves, shrubs, fruits, roots, and when it’s particularly dry, even the woody parts like twigs, branches and barks.
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An elephant's temporal lobe, which is the part of the brain associated with memory, is much larger and denser than that of humans. This proves that the adage – 'elephants never forget' – is true.
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Elephants are real survivalists. The calves can stand within 20 minutes of birth and walk within an hour after birth, and in two days, they can keep up with the adults in their herd. Their survival techniques help them migrate easily to find food and water, covering incredible distances.
Image source: Alamy