World Elephant Day 2021: Did You Know That………?

An elephant is the world’s largest wild known creature that captivates our hearts and imaginations .There are some incredibly fascinating facts to learn about elephants .The following are some interesting facts about the creature.

 

Elephants can distinguish languages!

• The beautiful creature has the ability to deeply understand human communication skills.
• Research shows that elephants respond with less intensity to female and to young male voices whiles to adult males, they tend to agitate.

 

Elephants are excellent swimmers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

• It is common that the creature loves playing in the water
• they splash and shower themselves and others with sprays from their trunks
• It is amazing to learn that the fascinating creature can perfectly swim.
• they can stay at the surface of water and use their strong legs to paddle
• to add on, they can also use their trunk as a snorkel when crossing deep water so that they can be able to breathe normally when they are submerged
• they make use of these creative skills to cross lakes when searching for food

 

Elephants do not forget.

• the beautiful wild creature has an amazing legendary memory.
• they have the ability to recall distant watering holes, other elephants and humans they have met before.
• they also recall paths to sources of food and water across great distances.
• Even more impressive ,they adjust their schedule to arrive just in time for the ripping season  for particular fruits of choice
• they have the largest brains of all living mammals

 

Elephants can listen through their feet.

• The giant amazing creatures have a great sense of hearing
• they have the ability to send vocals from over long distances
• they snort, roar, cry, bark and mumble
• an elephant can detect foot stomping of other elephants through the ground
• because they have enlarged ear bones and sensitive nerve endings in their feet and trunk, they can pick messages from others
• they can also send warnings to other elephants that are miles away through stomping

 

Elephants can also support those in need?

• the creature is so highly social and intelligent
• it can demonstrate compassion human behaviours such as kindness and altruism
• research shows that an elephant can console another distressed elephant
• just like human beings, elephants can show empathetic behaviour through co-ordinating with each other to help another injured or sick elephant

 

Elephants  use dirt as their sunscreen?

• the creature does not love playing in dirt for no reason
• although their skin looks rough, it is the most sensitive one and it can easily be affected by sunburns
• they throw mud on themselves to protect their skin from the damage of sun rays
• they use mud as a layer of protection

 

Elephant trunks have many skills?

• the trunk of an elephant is the most sensitive organ found on any mammal
• they can pick a peanut, shell it, blow the shell out and then eat the peanut
• they can use the trunk to suck up water and drink
• the trunk can contain up to 8litres of water
• the trunk also function as a snorkel when swimming

 

 Elephants are always eating?

• elephants eat up to 150kgs of food per day
• they can spend up to 3/4 of the day eating

Elephants  calves can stand within 20 minutes of birth?

• amazingly elephant calves can stand after 20 minutes of birth and can start walking within an hour
• after 48 hours they can keep up with the herd

 

In conclusion, there is a great need to save the amazing creature and one can do this through eradicating poaching .Do not buy or sell or wear items containing ivory which was not sustainably harvested .Elephants are both important and precious, let us save the creature!!!!

Happy world elephant day!!!!!

 

Written by Van Hellen Ruwende ( 0717 663 938)
Bindura University of Science Education Student
Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe Intern 2021