Top 10 elephant facts are the various things to know about elephants, particularly African bush elephants. Elephants are one of the most sought after animals that travelers look out for while on Africa safari tours. Elephants are part of the top big 5 animals most sought after by travelers after seeing the big five game while on game drives and animal viewing. Watching the majestically beautiful giants move through the vast savanna plains in the various Tanzania Tour destinations, Kenya safari destinations, Uganda and beyond. Below are the various top 10 elephant facts that you may want to know as you look to embark on your East Africa safari;
- The World’s largest Land Animals.
African elephants are the world’s largest land animals, and you can see these majestic animals in most of the savannah national parks in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and so many other safari destinations. Adult male elephants can stand up to 3m high, and can weigh up to 6,000kgs on average. Male elephants in Africa reach their full size at 35-40 years while female elephants can live up to 60-70 years. Even the elephant calves re huge, with baby elephants able to weigh up to 120kgs.
- Elephant Trunks Have Different Skills
There are over 150,000 muscle units in the elephant trunks. Elephant trunks are the most sensitive part of any animal. Elephants use their trunks to do various things including sucking up water to drink, snorkel, swim, and so much more.
- Tusks are actually Teeth
Elephant trunks are actually teeth, enlarged incisor teeth which first appear when the elephants are about 2 years only. The tusks continue growing throughout their lives. It is these tusks that elephants use to feed, prising bark off trees, or even digging up roots, and as a defensive weapon when fighting.
These beautiful tusks however have caused elephants danger, as they have been poached down for ivory, a much desired and precious jewel.
- Elephants Have Thick Skin
One of the top 10 facts about elephants is that elephants have thick skin. Elephant skin is 2.5cm thick in most parts of their bodies, which folds in their skin. This folded skin can actually retain up to 10 times more water than the flat skin does, helping them in cooling down. To protect themselves and their skin, elephants often take regular dust and mud baths especially to keep from sunburn.
- Constantly eating throughout the day.
Elephants for a fact are constantly eating. Elephants often times spend most part of their time eating. Elephants eat grass, leaves, shrubs, fruits, roots, depending on the season and their habitat. During the dry season, elephants eat more woody parts of trees and shrubs like twigs, branches and barks. Elephants need to eat up to 150kg of food every single day. Elephants spend three quarters of their day just eating away, much as most of the food leaves the body undigested, Tanzania Safaris.
- Communicate Through Vibration
Elephants communicate through vibrations, among so many other ways. Elephants also communicate following sounds like trumpet calls with some sounds being so low that they cannot be hear by people, body language, touch, scent, among others. Elephants also communicate through seismic signals, creating vibrations in the ground.
- Baby elephants can easily stand shortly after birth
Within about 20 minutes of birth, baby elephants can easily stand up right, quite n amazing thing. Also, baby elephants within 1 hour of being borne can walk; after 2 days of birth, baby elephants can keep up with the herd all the more easily. With this in place, elephants can keep migrating or moving throughout the park in search for food, to have them survive despite the season.
- Elephants Never Forget.
There is a saying that elephants never forget, attributed to the fact that elephants have a temporal lobe which is way denser than that of people.
- Highly Poached.
For their fine and huge white tusks which can be used to get ivory to make precious jewels and ornaments, elephants have been highly poached. About 90% of African elephant population has been wiped out thanks to poaching. Over the years however, great conservation efforts have taken place that the population of elephants has been seen growing yet again.
- Big 5 Animal
One of the top 10 facts about elephants is that it is one of the big 5 animals most sought after by travelers who head out for wild game viewing.
Looking to encounter the African elephant in their wild? Some of the best places to see large herds of elephants is Amboseli National Park Kenya, Tarangire National Park Tanzania, among so many others. To see red-dirt elephants, Tsavo West national park is your best go-to safari destination. Irrespective of which park you visit though, you would still be able to see elephants; even in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda forest elephants can be seen.
