World Elephant Day was on August 12th. In honor of these gentle giants, we rounded up everything cool you need to know about these enormous and environmentally aiding creatures. Keep reading to find out every elephant fact you need to know for World Elephant Day!
10 fun elephant facts
1. They’re huge!
Did you know that elephants are the world’s largest animal? That’s right – male African elephants can grow up to three meters tall and weigh up to eight tons!
2. There are two different types of elephant species
There are two types of elephant species: the Asian elephant (which is the smaller one) and the African elephant. The African elephant actually consists of two species: the African Savannah elephant and the African forest elephant.
3. Male elephants tend to live in isolation
While female elephants live in groups with their young, adult males roam on their own.
4. Female elephants have the longest pregnancy ever
A female elephant is pregnant with her baby for 22 months before giving birth! This is the longest of any mammal. In addition, female elephants give birth every five years or so.
5. The live until old age
Elephants can live to be up to 70 years old!
6. Elephants are vegan
Elephants eat hundreds of pounds of plants every day! African elephants’ diet consists of:
- Leaves and branches of bushes and trees
- Grass
- Fruit
- Bark
7. They’re excellent communicators
The can communicate with and identify each other through rumbling, low-pitched sounds – and then can hear them over long distances!
8. They can recognize themselves
This one’s super cool, because very few animals are able to do so.
9. They mourn their dead
Wild elephants are even known to visit the remains of their loved ones.
10. They’re environmentalists
What is there not to love about elephants? For one, they have a similar mission as Wholesome Culture…well, kind of.
Elephants (unbeknownst to them) actually maintain forests and savanna ecosystems and encourage tree regeneration by creating gaps in tree canopies. Elephants even distribute seeds through their digestive tract.
That’s right – even an elephant’s poo aids the environment!
Elephants need our help
Sadly, there are less than 40,000 Asian elephants and 400,000 African elephants left worldwide. One of the biggest contributing factors to their decline is large-scale poaching. The illegal ivory trade is prevalent in countries including China, Thailand, and Hong Kong.
Habitat loss is also a large contributing factor to this animal’s decline.
If you want to ensure that these animals stick around for a long time to come, you can donate to organizations including the World Wildlife Fund and the World Elephant Society. You can also be proactive about informing your family and friends the threat elephants face. You can even adopt an elephant!
Did you love this article about why elephants are some of the coolest creatures ever? Do you want even more information about some of Planet Earth’s species? Then be sure to check out these articles we’ve rounded up so you can find out even more about the incredible animal kingdom.
