Elephant animal. Description, features, types, lifestyle and habitat of the elephant

Science does not know exactly when mammals acquired such a wonderful thing as a penis.
But one thing is clear: it arose along with the mechanism of bisexual reproduction. It was he who helped some living beings send their genetic material into the depths of other living beings. Evolution has chosen and blessed precisely this path and such organs for the reproduction of the highest representatives of the animal world. And man is no exception here. We decided to expand the understanding of the owners of phalluses on planet Earth and will tell you who knows what in the animal world.

In contact with

How did elephants appear on the planet?

Back in the time of dinosaurs, that is, 65 million years ago, the ancestors of modern proboscideans walked the earth. They bore little resemblance to modern elephants; rather, they resembled tapirs and, according to scientists, they were most often found in the territory of what is now Egypt. True, there is also a theory that the ancestor of the elephant was a completely different animal, whose habitat was Africa and Eurasia.

The ancestors of elephants include Deinotherium, which became extinct 2.5 million years ago. Outwardly, they were an animal very similar to an elephant, only too small, with a short trunk. Then gomphotheres appeared.

They also looked like elephants, only they had 4 huge tusks that curled up and down. They became extinct 10 thousand years ago.

Mamutids (mastodons) are another “great-grandfather” of modern elephants. They appeared 10 million years ago and died out when humans appeared - 18 thousand years ago. The body of these animals was covered with thick hair, the tusks were long, and so was the trunk.

And now mammoths originated from them (1.6 million years ago). Mammoths were slightly larger in size than modern elephants, had thick hair and large tusks. Only mammoths belong to the same species as elephants.

Eyes

Elephants' vision is less developed than other senses. They are probably nearsighted. Trying to get a clear picture of what is happening, the elephant always pricks its ears and raises its trunk. The size of an elephant's eye is small relative to the size of the animal. The retina of the eye is pale with several large vessels surrounding the pale optic disc. The elephant was found to have tapetum lucidum fibrosum, which improves the eye's sensitivity to light by reflecting light onto the retina. This is a special layer of the choroid of the vertebrate eye, located behind the retina, representing a “mirror”, a reflective membrane. Essential primarily for night vision. The structure of the elephant's eye is distinguished by the absence of a lacrimal apparatus. The Harderian gland moisturizes and lubricates the nictitating membranes (“third eyelid”). The lacrimal membrane flows towards the middle of the canthus and emerges as slits in the skin. An elephant's binocular vision is 67°, monocular - 123° (on each side). Each elephant eye covers 190° (including binocular and monocular vision). The large head and horizontal position of the eye determine a large interpupillary distance (730 – 1130 mm).

Where do elephants live

Nowadays, elephants don’t have any fur, and they don’t need it, because their habitats have a warm and sometimes very hot climate. The African elephant feels great in African countries - Kenya, Zambia, Congo, Somalia, Namibia and others. In these countries it is not just warm, there is sultry heat. Elephants go to savannas, where there are plants and water.

Of course, with the growth of cities, there are fewer and fewer convenient places for elephants, but people create nature reserves and national parks specifically so that nothing threatens the life of the giants. In these same parks, work is underway to protect animals from poachers.

Indian elephants spread throughout Vietnam, Thailand, India, Laos, China, and Sri Lanka. They prefer forest vegetation, so they go into the forests. Even the impenetrable jungle does not interfere with these animals; on the contrary, it is there that a completely wild elephant has been preserved. True, it is extremely difficult to study such elephants.

Enemies

What animals pose a threat to elephants? Not many! Baby elephants can become potential food for hyenas, lions, leopards or crocodiles, but as long as they are close to their mother, there is no need to worry. If the elephant senses approaching danger, it makes a loud sound (alarm) to warn others. To combat a potential predator, the herd forms a protective ring of adults, with the babies in the middle. For an adult elephant, the main enemy is a poacher with a rifle.

Description

In fact, this is a very wise and peaceful animal. Despite its enormous size, the elephant is not an aggressor, and only eats vegetarian dishes. Man has long made the elephant his assistant. And this was possible because the large animal turned out to be very smart, easy to train, and people didn’t think long about using its power.

In addition to mental abilities, the elephant has well-developed many emotions. He knows how to be offended and upset, his tender attitude towards his offspring goes beyond the boundaries of ordinary instinct, he comes to the rescue of his comrades, and vividly expresses positive emotions.

Because of its intelligence, peacefulness and other abilities, the elephant is a sacred animal in some countries, for example, in Thailand or India.

It is believed that this is the largest animal on the planet. However, despite the fact that the weight of an elephant can reach 7 tons and its height exceeds 4 meters, the largest mammal is the blue whale. Next in size is the sperm whale. But on land, the elephant is the largest animal .

Weight

By the way, it must be said that not all elephants are so huge. The largest African elephant. Indian elephants are smaller than African elephants, their females reach a mass of only 4.5 tons, and males are 1 ton larger. But there are also very small species of elephants that do not weigh more than 1 ton.

Skeleton

In order to hold all these tons of weight, you need a strong and reliable skeleton. That is, a skeleton. The elephant's skeleton is strong and massive. It is on the skeletal bones that one can see how large the animal’s head is, decorated with huge tusks. From them you can determine how young or old an elephant is, because the older the animal, the more tusks it has.

Their growth reaches up to 18 cm per year! But this is not the case for everyone. In the most Asian elephant, the tusks are placed in the mouth and are ordinary incisors. But you can tell the age of an animal by its teeth - the old ones wear off over the years, and young teeth grow to replace them.

Head

If you look not at the skeleton, but at the beast itself, the first thing that catches your eye is the big ears. These ears are at rest only in cool, calm weather; when it is hot, elephants fan themselves with them, creating coolness.

In addition, such mobile ears are also a way of communication between comrades. When faced with enemies, an angry waving of the ears scares away the enemy.

Trunk

And yet, the most striking organ of any elephant is the trunk. This beauty consists of 200 kilograms of tendons and muscles, and is a fused lip with a nose. The trunk is an elephant’s necessary weapon for protection, feeding, drinking, and for any other needs.

For example, it is very touching to watch when little elephant calves hold on to their mother’s tail with their trunks in order to keep up with the herd. And if the baby gets into an unpleasant situation, the mother will pull him out, again, with the help of her trunk.

Kids do not immediately skillfully use this gift of nature; for example, they do not yet use it for drinking. But over time, they also understand what a unique device they have on their heads.

Legs

But not only the head with the trunk is unique; elephants in general are cut very perfectly. For example, it always surprises me how such a huge animal can move without making any sounds! This gait is possible due to the special structure of the leg.

The elephant's foot has a thick layer of fat that makes its step soft and silent. And also, the elephant is such an animal that can boast of two kneecaps on one knee! Even humans are not given such luxury.

Torso

The elephant's body is strong, collected, covered with wrinkled skin. There is stubble on the skin, but it is too sparse and does not give the skin any color. But, interestingly, elephants can be gray, brown, and even pink.

This all happens due to the fact that animals sprinkle themselves with earth and dust so that insects do not bother them. Therefore, in what place does the elephant live, what kind of soil is there, what color is the elephant.

By the way, this is why, from afar, elephants cannot be immediately seen against the background of the soil. This, of course, does not save them from enemies, because elephants are not too afraid of enemies, but it allows them not to bother uninvited guests.

But elephants with white skin (albinos) have a very hard time. They are simply killed for their valuable color. Although, the white elephant enjoys all the benefits if it comes across those peoples who idolize them as a sacred animal. The body ends with a small tail, at the end of which there is a tassel. The brush is not fluffy, but baby elephants can confidently hold on to such a tail.

The cardiovascular system

The weight of the heart is 0.5% of the elephant’s body weight (in other mammals - 0.6% of the body weight) and weighs 12-21 kg. An elephant's heart rate ranges from 24 to 50 beats per minute (average 35 beats per minute). However, normal auscultation is only possible in young animals. If necessary, an electrocardiogram (first done on an elephant in 1921) can be used for diagnosis. The normal body temperature of an elephant is 36 – 37° C, above 38° C means fever (fever). Blood volume is 3.5% of body weight, ≈ 35 liters per ton of animal weight. Large plexuses of veins and free anastomoses are located throughout the animal's body, including the superficial and deep temporal, pharyngeal, thoracic, anterior and internal femoral, popliteal, axillary and brachial regions. Due to the large thickness of the skin on most of the elephant's body, superficial veins are observed on the outer and inner surfaces of the ears, on the anterior surface of the forelegs, and on the hind legs. These veins can be used to listen to the pulse and for intravenous injections. However, great care must be taken when injecting intravenously into the ear area, as perivasicular irritation or death of ear tissue may occur.

Differences between Indian and African elephants

And yet, no matter how beautifully tailored an elephant is, its main advantage is its mental abilities. These animals easily learn not only the many operations that they have to perform during work, they can draw, they have a penchant for music.

And that’s not all, because only African and Indian elephants have been studied the most. At first glance, these are exactly the same animals, and an ignorant person can rarely determine a clear difference, and yet:

African elephant is bigger. Individuals of the same age differ greatly in mass, because the African elephant is approximately 2 tons larger than the Indian elephant, and this is very noticeable;
despite the greater weight, the trunk of the African elephant is thinner than that of the Indian elephant;
but African elephants have larger ears;
elephants also differ in the shape of their body - Asians have a seemingly shorter body, and the back part rises slightly above the head;
The African “lady” does not have tusks, but the rest of the elephants have tusks, both males and females;
Indian elephants are tamed much easier and faster than African ones (they are practically impossible to tame), although African elephants are smart animals ;
Even the life expectancy of Indian and African elephants is different - Africans live longer. Although, these indicators are highly dependent on many factors.

Interestingly, people tried to cross Indian and African individuals, however, this did not give any result. This suggests that elephant differences occur at the genetic level.

Offspring

At birth, a baby elephant is about a meter tall and weighs 55-120 kg. As a rule, babies are born with hair, a short trunk and are directly dependent on the mother and other members of the herd. They do not need a trunk, since milk from the mother goes into the mouth. Baby elephants try to stay as close as possible to their mother or another nursing female. During the first year of life, on average, they gain 1-1.3 kilograms of weight per day. If the baby is in distress, other members of the herd often come to his aid.

Despite prolonged gestation and protection, elephant calves need to gradually move up the social levels of the herd and establish their position in it. The cubs spend their days learning to walk on four legs in one direction, trying to cope with huge ears and mastering the work of their trunks. At first they are very clumsy, but all the time they learn to control their body. Upon reaching 2-3 years of age, elephant calves stop feeding on their mother's milk.

How do elephants live

Elephants gather in large herds of relatives - elephants. Any herd of elephants is led by a female elephant - old, experienced and wise. She already knows where the lush meadows are, where the water is, how to find the most greenery. But she not only points the way to a “delicious” life, but also maintains order.

As a rule, females and very young males gather in such family herds. But the males, who have already reached adulthood, do not want to live in such a herd and go to live alone. And if not alone, then together with the same male elephants. They, of course, approach family herds, but only when they are going to reproduce.

And at this time, the herd lives according to its own laws, where everyone fulfills their duties. For example, young animals are raised by the entire herd. Protecting the young is a matter of honor for every herd. If an attack occurs, the entire herd surrounds the baby with a ring and the enemy has a hard time. And yet, baby elephants are often victims of predators or die from the wounds they inflict.

Elephants prefer to be near water, because they need to drink at least 200 liters per day. By the way, not everyone knows, but when a drought occurs, elephants begin to dig wells, and the extracted water saves not only the elephant herd, but also many other animals.

The elephant is a peace-loving animal. The giants are not aggressors at all. Yes, it happens that some animal dies because of them, but most often this happens because the slow animal was simply trampled by a frightened herd and did not have time to turn out of their way in time. At other times, this simply does not happen.

It is very sad when an old elephant, anticipating its death, tenderly says goodbye to its relatives, and then goes to the elephant cemetery, where its ancestors also died. He will have to spend several days only there before his death. Both the elephant himself and his family know this, and their farewell is very touching and tender.

Lifespan

Elephants live longer in captivity than in the wild. And to call “captivity” places specially created for the comfortable and safe living of animals would not be entirely wrong. These are parks, reserves, places that are protected from poachers, areas where the most positive conditions for the life of giants are created.

In the wild, elephants are not protected from poachers’ weapons; they cannot always protect themselves from diseases, injuries, and wounds, and this greatly shortens their lives. Giants are not afraid of tigers or lions, but wounds from their attacks greatly spoil their stay. After all, even a small wound to the leg or trunk of a defenseless animal can threaten death, while a veterinarian only needs to properly treat the wound.

Life expectancy depends on many factors. For example, it depends on what species the individual belongs to, where it lives, what it eats, and how it is cared for. The longest duration is for African elephants, which live in savannas. They can feel great even at 80 years old. But elephants that live in forests live 10-15 years less, only 65-70 years.

At the same time, the Indian elephant, with favorable living conditions (national parks), shows a life expectancy of only 55-60 years, almost 20 years less than the African one. In the wild, such elephants barely live to be 50 years old.

Habitat

Asian elephants live in Nepal, India and parts of Southeast Asia. The main habitat is low-growing and tropical forests. During dry months they are often found near river banks.

African bush elephants (savanna elephants) live in eastern, central and southern Africa, preferring lowland and mountain forests, floodplains, all types of wooded areas and savannas. Forest elephants are found in the Congo Basin and western Africa, in moist, semi-deciduous tropical forests.

Nutrition

In order to feed its loved one, an elephant has to get food for itself almost all day. And you need a lot of food - up to 400 kg of green mass in just one day. The elephant uses its trunk to put into its mouth everything that is suitable for food - leaves, branches, herbs, fruits of bushes and trees. Those elephants who live in captivity are especially lucky.

There the animals are fed hay, cereals, fruits and vegetables. Hay is consumed up to 20 kg, and the rest is added with cabbage, carrots, pumpkin, zucchini, and apples. Even on “free bread”, elephants wander into the lands of local peasants to feast on vegetables.

It’s a pity, but very often people who work with elephants in serving tourists or small zoos allow these animals to be fed food that is very harmful to them, for example, sweets. This is strictly contraindicated, but the tourism industry assumes “any whim for your money.”

Big appetite

The elephant's diet includes all types of vegetation, from grass and fruit to leaves and bark. Every day these huge animals consume 75-50 kilograms of food, which is 4-6% of their body weight. On average, they spend up to 16 hours a day eating. Savannah elephants are herbivores and feed on grass, including sedges, flowering plants, and leaves of bushes. Forest elephants prefer leaves, fruits, seeds, twigs and bark. Asian elephants have a mixed diet; during dry periods and after heavy rains they eat shrubs and small trees, and after the first part of the rainy season they can eat grass. Also, Asian elephants can eat different types of plants depending on the season, branches and bark.

Reproduction

When males reach 14 (15) years of age and females reach 12-13 years of age, sexual maturity occurs. Of course, this is not the exact age that determines the time of entry into sexual relations; several factors also play a role here. For example, the abundance of food, the availability of water, the health status of a particular animal.

But if there are no obstacles, then the female successfully reaches the “romantic” age and begins to emit a certain smell, by which the males find her. There are usually several males. But the female chooses the best. This becomes clear in the fights organized by the “brave guys.” The winner of such a duel gets the love of the charming woman.

Love pleasures take place away from the herd. Moreover, the male, who has already done everything he should, does not immediately leave his “beloved”. They are still together for some time, walking, feeding, basking in the water, and only then they separate - the elephant returns to the family, and the elephant leaves, never to meet either his “Juliet” or his offspring again.

The female is entering the most important time in her life—pregnancy. It takes a long time, almost two years (22-24 months). Because of such deadlines, elephants are often under threat of extermination, because one elephant can be killed in a minute, but it takes two years to bear a baby.

After a long pregnancy, 1 baby elephant is born. Less often, two elephant calves appear. The elephant moves away from the herd to give birth, but another experienced female remains with her. The mother returns to the herd with a baby elephant that can stand on its legs, knows how to drink milk, and firmly holds on to its mother’s tail with its small trunk.

An elephant is a mammal , so the female feeds the baby elephant with her milk. The baby will live in the herd until it becomes an adult. And then, if it’s a male, he will leave, he will walk alone or in the company of such lonely males, but the female elephant will remain in her parental herd for life.

Human relationship with elephants

Man has long decided that the elephant is a pet and uses it as an assistant. However, over the years that the elephant has been with people, it has not changed at all. And domestication occurs not by breeding elephant calves from domesticated individuals, but by capturing wild elephants - it’s cheaper.

A wild elephant does not take too long to train, so domestication does not require much effort. Of course, when a female mates with a male, her pregnancy is expected; she is not even taken to work at this time. And yet, since an elephant can only become a worker at about 20 years old, no one is especially eager to feed a useless animal for so long. And baby elephants, as a rule, are sold.