Did you know that there is a dwarf elephant? Photos of pygmy elephants just flooded the Internet. Fans of these cute animals already fantasize that such a baby can definitely be kept as a pet in the apartment. Let's see if the dwarf elephant can live at home, what it eats, how it behaves in the wild.
Habitat
The smallest elephants on our planet live in Borneo. It is the third largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. On its territory there are borders of three countries - Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Almost the entire territory of Borneo is covered with dense equatorial forests, there are areas on which the human foot has not set foot. Perhaps there are still species of animals and plants on the island that modern biologists know nothing about.
Borneo's dwarf elephants live only on a small part of the island belonging to Malaysia in the territory of Sabah. Sometimes you can meet these amazing animals in Indonesia. The habitat of the pygmy elephants is associated with their food addictions.
Borneo's dwarf elephants feed on various greens: herbs, juicy palm leaves, wild bananas, bark, nuts, various fruits, seeds. Also, these animals need minerals that ensure their harmonious development. Elephants receive the necessary minerals from solonetzes and other limestone deposits that can be found on the banks of rivers.
What size are they
The smallest elephants in the world are a subspecies of the Asian. The dwarf elephant, a photo of which you can see in this article, lives on the north-eastern part of the island. What are the features of the appearance of these animals?
Many are interested in how tall a dwarf elephant is. Its dimensions are not so tiny, as appears from the name of the subspecies. The growth of an adult pygmy elephant is 2-2.5 meters. Weight can reach 2-3 tons.
For comparison, we give the sizes of the closest relatives, Asian elephants, which reach 3.5 meters in height, and can weigh up to 4.5 tons.
The largest elephant in history, belonging to the African species, weighed more than 12 tons, and its growth reached almost four meters. As can be seen from the comparison, Borneo's elephant is indeed considered dwarfed in comparison with its brethren, but it is still a large animal.
Appearance Features
In addition to the modest size, the pygmy elephants differ in some characteristic features of their appearance. Their ears are larger than those of Asian elephants, the spine is more curved. Tusks are short and straight. But the tails are long, almost touching the ground. There is one more difference due to which the dwarf elephant is so popular. Photos perfectly demonstrate the cute cartoon expression of the muzzle. Due to this feature of the dwarf elephant, it is simply impossible to confuse with the animal of another subspecies.
However, even despite their appealing appearance, Borneo's elephants are large wild animals. There are known cases of their attacks on people, including those with a fatal outcome.
Genetic Theory of Origin
How did this rare elephant appear and how did it get to the island of Borneo? Scientists cannot give an exact answer to this question. There are two theories that explain where Borneo's dwarf elephant came from.
The first hypothesis is based on laboratory studies of the DNA of these animals. Analysis of the genome tells us that elephants live in isolation, and have not met their relatives for more than 300 thousand years, which means they are an independent subspecies.
The distant ancestors of dwarf elephants came to Borneo during the World Cooling Period, about 18 thousand years ago. Presumably, they passed through the land isthmus, which was later destroyed. Thus, all the elephants came from one group, and changes in appearance and slight differences from other Asian relatives are the result of prolonged isolation.
This hypothesis is very plausible, but it cannot explain one interesting fact: no archaeological evidence has been found in Borneo for the residence of elephants for such a long period. The most ancient remains are dated to the 18th century.
Historical Theory of Origin
Where, and most importantly, when did the dwarf elephant appear on Borneo ? This explains the second hypothesis, according to which the ancestors of the island elephants were presented to the local Sultan Sul by the ruler of Java. Thus, the inhabitants of Borneo are descendants of Javanese elephants, which are considered extinct. It remains a mystery how several animals were able to initiate a large population in three hundred years.
Threat of existence
Today, the dwarf elephant is in danger of extinction. A lot of effort is being directed towards saving these rare animals. For a long time, small groups of elephants hid in dense forests, with virtually no contact with humans.
However, as a result of continuous deforestation and the expansion of agricultural land, wild elephants are increasingly faced with people, which leads to casualties on both sides. Poachers who hunted for tusks also played a role in the extinction of the rare species. Also, young growth is constantly attacked by predators. To date, the population has about 1,500 individuals, which means that the life of each animal is of great importance.
Behavior
Borneo's dwarf elephants are social animals. They live in groups with complex family ties. The family herd consists of the oldest and most experienced female, her sisters, daughters, that is, relatives of the head of the herd. In rare cases, other females who are not blood relatives may join them. Such a group can count from 3 to 25 individuals.
A group of females sometimes unites with a group of males and lives in a single clan. All elephants help each other in raising cubs. More experienced mothers show young people how to properly care for offspring. The survival of elephants increases significantly when several females look after them.
Group relationship
As you know, elephants establish strong social and emotional ties with members of their herd. Family values are very important for them. They can carry friendship and good relations through life, mourn the loss of loved ones and young. Elephants can return to the place of death of a member of the herd to grieve.
The herd going to a watering hole looks touching. Little elephants clutch their mother’s tail with their trunk to keep up, while other elephants surround the babies to protect them from possible danger.
Despite the warm relations and strong ties between the members, the group can split up. The reason for this is usually a lack of food, water or a conflict within the herd associated with the death of a leader. Herds living in the same territory do not conflict, greet each other and can interact. If the conditions are favorable, plenty of water and food, then the groups can join.
Clans
Sexually mature males separate from the mother's group and lead a secluded nomadic lifestyle. As they grow older (puberty occurs in 12-15 years), the males become more independent, begin to wean from the herd and roam alone. Over time, the male is completely excommunicated from his herd. He can continue to live alone or join a group of other males.
The male clan also has a strict hierarchy. The group is led by the most adult and experienced males. Members of the herd stick together, but as soon as one of them has a female who has taken courtship, he leaves his male group for the duration of the mating season.
Captive
Own dwarf home elephant is the dream of many animal lovers. However, if you carefully read the article, you managed to understand that even the smallest elephants in the world are huge animals weighing several tons.
What conditions would have to be created if you had a dwarf elephant? The pet is massive, and therefore eats a lot. Every day, the happy owner of such a pet needs to get at least 150 kilograms of a variety of green food.
In the natural environment, elephants are in constant motion. Accordingly, they need a huge aviary. Also, the animal needs to swim somewhere, take mud baths, rub against trees, wallow in the sand, walk along the grass. In the cold season, it should be indoors.
Dwarf elephants are amazing and very rare animals that can be found only on a small territory of the island of Borneo. Their origin is not known for certain, but they are a separate subspecies and are carefully studied by scientists.