We still have our adopted elephant
Update on elephants from the Toronto zoo:
Elephant AfricanLoxodonta africana
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidae
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Loxodontia
Distribution: Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda and Zaire. They range south to S. Africa.
Biome:Tropical grasslands of Africa.
Habitat: Prefers the edge between grassland and forest, especially near rivers, also found in deep forests, open savannas, wet marshes, thombush, and semi-desert scrub.
Food:The diet is entirely vegeterian and includes grass, tree foliage, twigs, herbs, shrubs, roots and fruit.
Zoo Diet:Timothy hay, apples, carrots, potatoes, onions, sugar cane, fibre-plus herbivore cubes, browse.
Description: The elephant is the largest living terrestial animal.Size differs according to sex, habitat and sub-species. In general males weigh between 4,400-5,500 kg. and measure approximately 2.95-3.6 m at the shoulder. Whereas, the females which are smaller, weigh about 2,230-3,470 kg. and measure 2.25-2.65 m at the shoulder. The body of the elephant is long and massive and the tail is of moderate length.The head is huge and sits on a short neck. The ears are large and fan-shaped. Elephants have thick , pillarlike legs and their short broad feet are flattened resting on expanded elastic pads. African elephants have three toes on their hind feet and four toes on the forefeet.The skin is a dullish brownish grey colour, creased and folded along the body and ranging in thickness from several mm on the ears to 1.9-3.2 cm over the body. Hair is sparsely distributed over the adult body. It is more prominent on younger animals which are covered with down. Eyebrows and lashes are composed of long, fine hair, which also surrounds the ear-orifices and lower lip. Short tactile hair covers the trunk and the tail has a tuft of coarse hairs 38-76 cm long. The most conspicuous external feature of the elephant is the trunk, which is flexible and muscular. The trunk is a great elongation of the nose, the nostrils being located at the fingerlike tip. Elephants have six complete sets of molars during their lifetime, each set coming forward much like the conveyor-belt principle. Each set is progressively larger. The molars are broad with complex ridges of dentine covered with enamel and with cement between the ridges. In both sexes, one incisor tooth on each side of the upper jaw is greatly developed to form a tusk composed of dentine or ivory. This tusk grows continuall throughout life.
Reproduction and DevelopementBreeding occurs at any time of the year, and a female in heat may mate with more than one male, the dominant male being first. Gestation period is 19-22 months and usually only one young is born. The female stands during birth and drops the calf headfirst. Newborns weigh between 100-120 kg. The skin on the baby is loose, wrinkeled and hairy. The large ears are pressed closely to the head.The brain is near the full adult size and weight at birth. The newborn is unable to control the trunk. It is able to stand within 15-30 minutes and will follow its mother back to the family unit. It will continue to follow its mother closely. Sucking occurs at frequent intervals. It lasts on the average from 2 to 3 years. Sexual maturity is reached between 8 and 13 years. Growth is throughout life over a potential span of 60 to 70 years. A female may have several calves of different ages under her protection and gives birth every 3-8 years.
AdaptationThe elephant's most remarkable adaptation is it's trunk. The trunk is a large heavy-musculed structure serving a multitude of purposes. The trunk is used for breathing, feeding, pulling up vegetation, throwing dust, squirting water, vocalizations and as a snorkle as well as an organ of touch, smell and communication. On the end of the trunk there are 2 prehensile finger-like tips which are capable of picking up small objects. When used for drinking the trunk can hold up to 5 liters of liquid which is then shot into the mouth. Elephants can drink 100 liters of water at one time and, when thirsty, more than 208 liters within minutes. Hair on their trunk is associated with nerve-endings providing discriminatory tactile sensations. The tusks are used for tools to dig up roots, pry bark off of trees, marking territory and fighting. Usually, one tusk is favored over the other and will be worn down shorter. In order to support the great body weight, the bones of the limbs are nearly vertical and the joints have limited flexibility. The large surface area of the foot spreads the weight of the animal over a wide area. Thick padded elastic soles act as shock absorbers cushion the legs. Elephants walk at a pace of 6 km/hr and can charge at 40 km/h if angered or frightened. They cannot gallop or jump over ditches, but elephants will readily take to rivers and lakes where the water supports them and enables them to swim for long distances without tiring.
The large thin-skinned ears have a fan like arrangement of subcutaneous blood vessels, which function in temperature regulation. Fanning the ears to-and-fro helps in the dissipation of heat. Elephants also take regular mud or dust baths, which serve to protect them from sunburn and excessive water loss. The eyesight is poor, the eyes being comparatively small and fixed on the animals large and relatively immobile head. The long eyelashes afford protection from foreigh objects during movement and feeding. The most sensitive organ is the trunk. Well developed olfactory membranes help detect scent locations, quality and concentration. The tongue tip is also tactile in sensory function.
Elephants produce a wide variety of sounds for communication. Elephant vocalizations range from high-pitched squeaks to deep rumbles. The deep rumbles, which are too low for human ears to detect, are the preferred form of communication between elephants since elephant hearing is better at low frequencies and such sounds are capable of travelling long distances. As much as two thirds of what an alephant is saying goes unheard by humans. Communication also takes place via body language-the position of the head, ears and trunk.
Status: ENDANGERED
Threats to Survival:Destruction of forest habitat due to human encroachment and the conversion to farmlands, as well as unregulated and/or illegal trade in ivory are serious threats to their survival.
General:Elephant activity is both diurnal and nocturnal but drops during the hottest hours of the day. Sleeping may take place either at noon or after midnight, with the animals lying down or standing and leaning against one another or a tree. Full- grown elephants consume about six to eight percent of their own body weight in vegetation each day. They spend most of their day roaming in search of food, spending as many as 18 hours per day feeding. Depending on its size, an elephant may consume up to 200 kg (440 lbs) of plant material a day, of which only 40% is digested.
Elephants are social animals and usually travel in herds made up of females and their calves led by an older female of the matriarch. As they mature, young males are driven out of the clan at puberty, 8-20 years old, forming their own separate all-male troops. Some old males may travel by themselves. Elephants have been found in herds of several hundred, although around 20 individuals are common. Social cohesiveness in herds is extremely high and nearly all the females are related.
References:E.P. Walker, Mammals of the World
, and not a boy 
, so we had to buy a postcard from the giftshop.
