The African Elephant
The African elephant is a large mammal that lives in Africa. It has two large ears with a long trunk for its nose. The male African elephant, called a Bull elephant, have tusks protruding out of their mouth and often fight rival males for territory.
Habitat
The African elephant can be found in the African plains where they can be found together in a herd with other elephants. They will often be near areas in which plants are available for them to consume. They often create water holes by digging with their trunks, in which all the elephants will use to drink when thirsty. Other animals will use these water holes to drink as well.
Diet
The African elephant’s diet consists of a wide variety of plants. They range from common plants such as grass and leaves, juicy fruits to hard materials such as barks and twigs. Since the African plains are often dry they would be able to consume twigs to survive. The African elephant also requires a lot of water for it to survive daily. Due to the hot weather and their large mass, they need to drink at least 190 liters to prevent dehydration.
Interesting Facts
One of the common known facts is that the African elephant is the largest land animal on earth. The closest that comes to the animal’s size is the Asian elephant which is slightly smaller compared to their African counterparts. They are also one of the animals that are able to sleep while standing. This is to allow them to escape quickly when there is danger. Finally, scientists find it intriguing that African elephant is also one of the few animals that grieve over the death of a fellow elephant. They are recorded to touch and move the bones of dead elephants when they stumble upon one.
Conclusion
As magnificent as they are, they are on the brink of extinction. Hunters often hunt them for ivory and as a result, very little elephants exist today. If nothing is done then these African elephants might be gone forever.
