Head/Body Length and Shoulder Height
Adult length: 18-24 feet (5.5-7.3 m)
Adult height: 10-13 feet (3-4 m) (2.5-3 m) |
Weight
Adult weight: 8,800-15,500 pounds (4,000-7,045 kg)
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Life Span
Average life expectancy for an elephant in captivity and the wild is about 45 years
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Diet
In the wild:
Elephants feed mainly on grass, tree foliage, bark, roots, shrubs, fruit and soil for its mineral content.
Full-grown elephants consume about six to eight percent of their own body weight in vegetation each day. To accomplish
this, they spend as many as 18 hours per day feeding. These massive animals can drink 26 gallons (100 l) of water at one
time and, when thirsty, more than 55 gallons (208 l) within minutes. |
Diet
At
the zoo: Hay, grain and vegetables (carrots are a favorite)
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If you
like this animal and find it particularly fascinating you
can adopt it!
Reproduction
Females (cows) mature sexually at around 9-12 years old and can potentially reproduce into their 40s.
Females produce calves at intervals of about every three to five years. Although males (bulls)
reach sexual maturity around age 10, they often do not breed until they are about 30
when they become large and strong enough to successfully compete with other
large male elephants for females. The gestation period lasts about 22 months (630-660 days) after
which one calf is born; twins are rare. Average calf birth weight is about 265 pounds (120 kg).
Life
Cycle
Young suckle with their mouth (not trunk) and may not be fully weaned until the birth
of the next calf. While adult elephants have no natural predators, young elephants are occasionally
preyed on by lions, hyenas or crocodiles. Most physical growth occurs by age 15, and top mental
ability is reached at ages 30-45. Elephants have four molars, which are replaced five times, for
a total of six sets in a lifetime. Death comes when the last set of molars wear out and the animal
can no longer eat.
What Big Teeth You Have!
Although African and Asian elephants look much alike, there are several physical characteristics that distinguish them
from one another. African elephants are larger in size, have bigger fan-like ears and have a single hump on their forehead,
a sway back, more wrinkled skin and a trunk that has two finger-like projections at its tip, one at the top, one at the bottom.
Male and female African elephants grow large tusks; male Asian elephants usually have smaller tusks and tusks of Asian females
are not visible beyond the lips. Tusks are elongated upper incisors, one on each side of the jaw. They begin to appear at age
two, and grow throughout the animal's lifetime. Tusks are used for fighting, pushing, lifting and digging for water.
Family Values
African elephants live in socially complex 'family units' comprising of related
adult cows and their immature offspring. A family unit usually comprises
of eight to 10 animals and is led by the matriarch, usually the oldest, largest,
dominant cow.
During times of danger, such as severe drought or intense poaching, many family
units will come together to form a large herd comprised of 500-1,000 individuals.
When young
male elephants reach puberty at around 12-15 years of age, they become
more independent and strike out on their own
or are driven out by the family unit's females. At this time, males either
roam alone or gather together to form small, loosely bonded "bachelor" herds,
from which they come and go at will. Bulls temporarily rejoin female-centered
units, especially when females are sexually receptive. As male elephants reach sexual maturity, they experience a phenomenon called musth
(pronounced "must"); in Hindi, musth means 'intoxicated.' During musth, a bull's
testosterone blood level skyrockets, and he becomes dangerously aggressive,
unpredictable and highly competitive with other bulls for females. Females
appear to prefer
males in musth for mating.
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Fascinating
Facts
- Mild-tempered male elephants usually have the largest
tusks because they tend to avoid behaviors such as
combat and tree ramming which break tusks!
- A trunk weighs about 400 pounds (182 kg), can hold up
to 2.5 gallons (9.5 l) of water, contains at least
40,000 muscles (possibly up to 100,000) and is so dexterous that it
can pick up a grain of rice.
|
Woodland Park Zoo's one female East African bush elephant and two female Asian elephants can be
seen at the Elephant Forest exhibit located in the Tropical Asia bioclimatic zone. The elephants have use of a large area that includes a paddock, bathing pond
and barn. On cold or wet days, visitors can expect to find the elephants in their comfortable barn.
The African elephant is an endangered species.* This is due to poaching for ivory and loss
of habitat. Where elephants once roamed over millions of square miles of habitat, today they are restricted to overcrowded parks and reserves. Although
there are an estimated 500,000 African elephants left in the wild today, their future survival in the wild hangs in the balance. Most older and larger
elephants have been killed for ivory and sport. Elephants reach their physical and mental prime at about 40 years of age, but today their average age
has dropped to 24 years old.
Woodland Park Zoo has joined other zoos to help preserve and protect these magnificent
animals by participating in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for African and Asian elephants. To enhance
the captive breeding of African elephants, zoos are working toward constructing more facilities capable of handling adult bull elephants. Learn more about elephant conservation.
How
You Can Help!
The effort to save endangered species requires cooperation and support at the
international, national, regional and individual levels. You can help in this
cause. Join and become active in Woodland Park Zoo and other conservation organizations
of your choice. Please do not buy products made from wild animal parts or exotic
woods. Contact your elected representatives and express your views about conservation
of endangered species and wild habitats.
Contact
Woodland Park Zoo at webkeeper@zoo.org to find out
ways you can support conservation programs at the zoo. Learn other ways you can help conserve wildlife and
the habitats they require for survival by visiting our How You Can Help page.
Sources
and Suggested Reading
Eltringham, S. K. Dr. 1991. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Elephants. Crescent Books, New York, NY. 188 p.
For Kids!
Patent, Dorothy H. 1991. African
Elephant: Giants of the Land. Holiday House, New York, NY.
Sobol, Richard. 1995. One More Elephant: The Fight to Save Wildlife
in Uganda. Cobblehill/Dutton, New York, NY. 31p.
Redmond,
Ian. 1995. Gorilla. Alfred A Knopf Inc., New York, NY. 63 p.
Zoobooks.
1994. Apes. Wildlife Education Ltd., San Diego, CA. 18 p.
Compare
the African Elephant with the Asian Elephant
Facts
about Woodland Park Zoo's Elephants
Frequently
Asked Questions about Elephants
Learn more about Elephant Care and Conservation
* There
are several international and federal agencies that determine the endangered
status of species. WPZ designates a species as endangered if it is listed
as endangered on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of
Nature) Red List, the US Fish & Wildlife Service's Endangered Species
List, or on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on the International Trade
of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna).
Last revised: November 16, 2006
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Classification
and Range
