Elephants are amazing animals that amaze with their size. Calculating the exact weight of an elephant is very difficult, because it depends on many factors. In fact, there are no two identical elephants, because they all have different heights, weights, and tusks. But still, how much does a newborn baby elephant weigh?
a brief description of
The elephant is the largest land animal on our planet, which is known for its love of water and its huge size. Representatives of this species live in tropical latitudes, for example, in India and on the African continent. However, sometimes they can be found in other regions: they often become artists in the circus, because they are easy to train, they understand the teams well and are considered very smart animals.
Before you talk about how much an elephant calf weighs at birth, it is necessary to characterize this species as a whole. You should start with a description of the multifunctional trunk, consisting of hundreds of thousands of muscles. With the help of this organ, animals breathe, make sounds, sniff various objects, drink water and, using a small process at the end of the trunk, pick up all sorts of little things. Because of valuable tusks, elephants are hunted, but this is illegal.
They lead a herd lifestyle, while all members of the herd are tied by blood ties. Together they take care of the young. It is known that elephants even know how to greet each other. Loyalty to the herd is maintained throughout life. This is manifested in the fact that in the event of the death of one of the family members, the elephants are sad. At the head of the herd is the oldest and smartest female.
The lifespan of elephants is approximately seventy years. Animals feed on tree bark, grass, roots and fruits. The amount of food consumed reaches 136 kg per day. In addition, each individual drinks 100-300 liters of water daily. Do these numbers surprise you? Be prepared to experience even greater shock when you find out how much the baby elephant weighs in childbirth. This will be discussed later.
Types of Elephants
The classification of elephants is based on their habitat. The range of savannah and forest elephants is limited to the African continent. It is the African savannah elephant that is considered the largest representative of the species, but its fellow is slightly smaller. Males, as a rule, are larger than females, and reach large sizes, up to 7.5 meters in length and 2.5 meters in height. At the same time, the highest point of their body is in the region of the shoulders.
Dimensions of Indian elephants do not exceed 7 meters. The smallest representative of this species lives in the region of the island of Kalimantan. The highest point on the body of the Indian elephant is located on the top of the head. There are several subspecies of Asian elephants :
- Ceylon. Representatives of this subspecies live only on the island of Sri Lanka. 95% of individuals lack tusks.
- Sumatran. As the name implies, the habitat of this animal is represented by an island called Sumatra. The body weight of adults is only 2-4 tons, so you can guess how much the little elephant calf of this subspecies weighs: about 50-60 kilograms.
- Borneo's dwarf elephant is the smallest in the world. Its height reaches 2.5 meters, and the weight does not exceed 3 tons, and then quite rarely.
The dimensions of the savannah elephant
Before you talk about how much an elephant calf weighs at birth, you should learn more about an adult individual - the savannah elephant, the largest of its kind. He has a strong body, a large head, a short neck, powerful tusks, massive limbs, huge ears and a long trunk. On average, males weigh seven tons, while the body weight of females reaches five tons.
Record holders
By how much an elephant calf weighs in kg, it can be understood that these animals are real giants. But among them there are champions. For example, in 1974, information on the largest elephant, which weighed twelve tons, was entered in the Guinness Book of Records! This mammal was shot dead in the last century in Angola. It was a representative of the savannah variety.
Currently, the record holder is occupied by an elephant named Yoshi, who lives in the Safari Park, which is located in the city limits of Romat Gan. With the help of a specially invited expert, it was found that the weight of the mammal is about 6 tons, height - 3.7 meters. The length of the tail reaches a meter, and the dimensions of the trunk exceed 2.5 meters.
Pregnancy
An interesting fact about elephants: the duration of pregnancy of females of this species is from 20 to 22 months, depending on environmental conditions. The female gives birth once every five years, while in almost all cases only one baby is born, although there are exceptions. At the time of birth, the female leaves to the side, sometimes another elephant leaves with her. Childbirth lasts two hours or more. If the female gives birth slowly, other members of the herd can help her.
Kids
How much does an baby elephant weigh at birth? Weight data varies: according to some sources, 85-110 kg, and according to others - from 80 to 140 kg. At the same time, forest elephant calves are born the smallest: no more than 85 kilograms, but the African savannah elephant at birth differs in large dimensions: its weight is at least a hundred kilograms.
Regardless of how much the born elephant calf weighs, already 2 hours after birth it stands on its feet and can follow the herd, but as a rule, the family sets off only 3-4 days later, when the elephant calf gets used to the outside world . Up to 10 years, the baby is carefully looked after, since only at this age he reaches sufficient size to be able to fend for himself. It is finally formed by 20 years. The weight of an adult elephant is equal to the mass of 4 rhinos or 4 giraffes.
Life cycle
Now it’s clear how much the baby elephant weighs after birth. The elephant’s life cycle can be divided into several stages.
| No. | Stage | Age |
1 | Infancy | From birth to 2 years |
2 | Childhood | From 2 to 15 years |
3 | Youth | From 15 to 20 years old |
4 | Maturity | From 20 to 65 years old |
5 | Old age | From 65 years old |
From the first days, babies begin to actively gain weight due to frequent feeding. In fact, these animals feed on about 2/3 days, that is, 16 hours daily. Until two years, they mainly consume breast milk, however, they quickly learn how to use a trunk and pinch grass.
Until about 15 years old, elephants are in their herd, learning from the experience of older family members, after which males are expelled and begin an independent life. Maturity occurs at the age of 20 years. Until about 40 years old, elephants are capable of performing hard work, after which they are assigned the easier work in the herd.
Their teeth change three times. When the jaw wears out, the elephants age and die slowly. As a rule, the life expectancy of elephants is on average 70-80 years. At 65, they are considered "old men" in their herd.
Approximate weight at different ages
The weight of a newborn baby elephant is approximately 80-110 kg. By the age of 20, they finally grow, after which the body weight of the elephant does not change. Knowing that on average adults weigh 6-7 tons, you can calculate how many kilograms of weight is added monthly: about 25-30 kg.
Then a month after birth, the baby will weigh 110-140 kg, in six months - from 260 to 290 kg, and a year later - 440-470 kg. Agree, impressive size.
Weight Facts
There are some interesting facts about the size of elephants that will definitely surprise you:
- Asian elephants are the smallest of their kind, but even in females of this species, the stomach holds 76.6 liters. It weighs from 17 to 35 kilograms. Large African elephants have a stomach volume of more than 60 liters, and its mass varies between 36-45 kilograms.
- The female’s liver has the same dimensions. Males have different sizes of this organ: from 59 to 68 kilograms.
- The pancreas of an adult weighs about two kilograms. It is surprising that there is no information about any diseases that may cause disturbances in the work of this body.
- The mass of the heart on average is 0.5% of the weight of a mammal, that is, from 12 to 21 kg.
- Elephants have a large brain. Its mass exceeds the brain weight of any animals on the planet and reaches 6.5 kilograms.
- As you can already understand, all the organs of elephants are striking in their size. Did you know that the intestinal length of an adult is on average 35 meters?
Tusks
Separately, it is necessary to mention the tusks. They grow throughout the life of an elephant, therefore, their size determines the approximate age of the mammal. The mass of the largest tusk is 225 kg, and this is documented. In addition, with the help of tusks, you can determine whether a person is right-handed or left-handed. How to do it? Take a closer look at the tusks: one that looks more worn out and will point to the correct answer. If you are interested in how much an elephant calf weighs when it is born, then you should know that the weight of newborn animals is not too big because they do not yet have tusks.
Trunk
The trunk is a multifunctional organ of the respiratory system. With it, the animal grabs objects, eats, breathes, sniffs, makes sounds. The trunk is connected to the upper lip. The length of this organ is 1.5-2 meters, and this is an average value. It can hold a load weighing 250 kilograms, as well as accommodate 7.5 liters of water.
Leather
The expression "pachyderm like an elephant" is popular. In fact, it is quite justified: the thickness of the skin of an elephant is about 2-4 centimeters. However, this does not mean that the skin protects the mammal from the effects of any external factors. On the contrary, the skin is very sensitive. To create a protective crust, elephants take mud and dust baths. Due to this, they do not sunbathe.
The ears
Elephants can be recognized not only by their long trunk and gigantic size, but also by their large ears. The mammal needs them in order to fan themselves in the heat and create a feeling of coolness. A network of vessels is well developed in the ears, which allows elephants to cool their blood, thereby carrying out thermoregulation. But the location of the veins on the surface of the ears is individual for each elephant and is similar to a person’s fingerprint.
More interesting facts.
Other, no less interesting facts will be listed below. You have already read about how much an elephant weighs at birth, but did you know that elephants:
- They are considered one of the most intelligent representatives of the animal kingdom.
- They have a good memory. For example, they remember for a long time various places, important events, as well as people who have treated them well or poorly.
- Of all the known animals, only elephants cannot jump.
- It is enough for adults to sleep four hours a day.
- Sluggish not at first glance, elephants can develop great speed, reaching thirty kilometers per hour.
These were amazing facts worth knowing about elephants.