Elephants are magnificent creatures known for their power, beauty, and intellect. They are the an-ionic symbol of wildlife.
An elephant’s brain is three times the size of a human’s, with five times the number of neurons. Their mental and emotional capacities are enormous. Elephants feel, think, and behave in the same ability as humans.
Elephants use both direct and indirect movements, gestures, and even sign language to communicate. Their capacity to communicate signals across enormous distances without the need for technology considerably exceeds that of humans.
Here are some amazing facts about elephant behavior:
Herd Hierarchy
Elephants develop close matriarchal family groupings comprising related mothers and calves and live in intimate matriarchal family groups. Elephants have a twenty-two-month gestation period, and females only come into heat every four years; thus, the delivery of a newborn kid is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Infants are cared for not just by their mothers but also by the other females in the herd.
Puberty causes male elephants to abandon their herd when they reach the adolescent age of thirteen or fourteen. They will either explore their rangeland alone or create a bachelor herd with other males. It is a crucial rite of passage, as younger males will be held in line by their elders, learning how to compete for females and respect herd members by following their lead.
Foraging
Elephants are known to use their strong gymnastic abilities to reach their favorite seeds and trees. It takes a lot of strength and power to push off the ground onto their rear legs. Adult male elephants may weigh up to six tons, making this two-legged lift a spectacular sight to behold.
Elephants will utilize this well-honed ability to obtain acacia seeds and nourish leaves normally out of reach. Elephants will graze all day and night for about sixteen hours to ingest up to 200kg of food in a single day due to their slow and steady digestive system.
Greetings
Elephants are very tactile animals, and they use their trunks and bodies to communicate important messages as part of their overall communication system.
Elephants use their trunks, ears, and bodies the same way people use their hands to greet one another or express themselves. Younger elephants will touch the mouths of their moms or female relatives to acquire feeding techniques and to feel comfortable; hence the trunk is used to reassure them.
The Defensive Charge
Elephants are not naturally aggressive; thus, they will only charge if they feel threatened. Charging is a display of strength in male elephants, and they will utilize any opportunity to mock-charge to show off.
The younger members of the herd must be educated to survive in the wild. Elephants are quick learners because they must be. A young elephant is an easy target for lions and crocodiles, and the art of charging is essential.
Communication
Elephants communicate with about sixty different calls. The high-frequency trumpet or its deep bellows are the most familiar to us. An elephant’s communication sound range has been recorded to travel up to ten kilometers to other herds. These messages are picked up by their feet, which operate as giant receivers, perfecting the skill of long-distance communication.
