1. Massive weight:
The weight of the elephant cannot be easily imagined. It has such a big body that its weight is so high. The average weight of an Asian Elephant is 4,000kg, whereas the African Bush Elephant has an average weight of 6,000kg. At the same time, the African Forest Elephant's weight varies from 2700-6000 kg.
2. Biggest among the giants:
We know that elephants are the largest land animals surviving today. But do you know the largest elephant ever existed? The largest elephant was recorded in Angola. It had a massive weight of 11,000kg. Its shoulder height was 3.96 meters. It is also said that it was a meter tall than the average African elephant.
For more information:
https://www.elephantsforafrica.org/elephant-facts/
3. Elephants represent luck and God:
Elephants are not only just animals with a massive bodies. But they also represent luck and God.
According to the Chinese concept of Feng Shui, which is also known as Chinese Geomancy, elephants represent wisdom, protection, and strength. Not only this, but it also represents good luck.
In Hinduism, Ganesha is a God with an elephant-headed. There is a long history behind this elephant-headed God. Lord Ganesha represents education, fortune, and protection.
4. Difference between African and Asian:
Elephants also have two different species, omne his African and Asian. The difference between Africans and Asians other than their continent is they have differences in their physical properties. The ears of the African elephant are larger when compared to that of Asian elephants.
African elephants have two fingers at the end of their trunk, whereas Asian elephants have only one.
5. The long trunk:
According to WWF, the trunk of the elephant consists of 1,50,000 muscle units. We also know that elephants use the trunk for drinking water but do you know that elephants' trunks can contain upto 8 liters of water on average. They also use their trunk as a snorkel while swimming.
6. The teeth of the elephant:
Both African and Asian elephants have an equal number of teeth. They have 26 teeth totally. They consist of two upper incisors(tusk), 12 premolars that are not permanent compared to human babies, and 12 molars.
7. The royal tusk:
The elephant tusk is actually the teeth of the elephant. The elephant tusk appears when the elephant is two years old. Tusks do not stop their growth throughout their lives. They do not stop their growth in a certain stage.
8. Thick skin:
The skin of the elephant is very thick. Its skin is 2.5 cm thick on average. The wrinkles in their skin can retain upto 10 times water when compared to that of flat skin. They protect their body from sunburn by taking regular dust and mud bath. This helps their body to cool down their temperature.
9. The largest tusks:
The tusk of the elephant is very long. But the largest recorded elephant tusk is 3.5 m long. The weight of the heaviest elephant tusk was 120kg. The Kilimanjaro elephants have the largest tusk.
10. Oldest Elephant:
The maximum life span of elephants is 70 years. But the life span of the Asian elephants is maximum upto 48 years. But breaking this life span, an elephant named Chengalloor Dakshayani. Dakshayani was a female Asian elephant that was born in the year 1930. It was kept at the Chenkalloor Mahadeva Temple in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. She was a sacred elephant. She was also known as "Dakshayanamma"(Mother Dakshayani," "Gaja Muthassi"(elephant grandmother), and "Gaja Raja Dakshayani." She died on February 5 in the year 2019 in Pappanamcode.
To know about Dakshayani:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengalloor_Dakshayani
11. Unique communication:
Elephants communicate in various ways. They receive signals mainly through their bones. But they have a unique type of communication that is they communicate through vibrations. They produce seismic signals by making vibrations in the ground.
12. Fast babies:
Elephant calves are very fast in acquiring basic skills. According to WWF, elephant calves can stand within 20 minutes of their birth. They can also start walking within 1 hour of their birth. After two days, they start walking with their herds.
13. Immortal memory:
The elephant's temporal lobe(the area of the brain associated with memory) is larger and denser when compared to that of humans. Some of them also say that elephants can remember the memory of their previous life.
14. Deadly ivory:
Elephants are extinct day by day. There are many reasons for this extinction. But the major reason for their extinction is the trade of ivory. The tusk of the elephant is made up of ivory. The tusk of The greedy humans takes the elephant tusk from the elephant's body, which may lead to death. This is taken because it has a great value in the human market.
15. Extinction giants:
Elephants are amiable animals and are also believed as lucky. Around 90% of African elephants are wiped out in the past century. The estimated number of wild elephants living today is 4,15,000.
While around 50% of Asian elephants have been wiped out in the past century, the estimation of the Asian elephant is 45,000.
So we should take various measures to protect the elephant from our greed and natural disasters.
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