Elephant

**//THE GENTLE GIANTS//** **//By: Justin//**
 * //ELEPHANTS//**

The elephant is one of the largest living animals on land and is known as the gentle giant. Today, there are only about four different types of elephants living in Africa and Asia; although millions of years ago there were 350 different kinds of elephants wandering all over the world.

There are two different species of African elephants, which are the Forest and Savanna elephants. The Savanna elephant is sometimes also known as a Bush elephant. There are three different subspecies of Asian elephants: Indian, Sumatran, and the Sri Lankan. The African elephant is slightly bigger than the Asian elephant. The skin of the African elephant is darker gray than the Asian Elephant and is more wrinkled; where as the Asian elephant’s skin is smoother. The back of the African elephant curves like a bowl; where as Asian elephant’s back is straight. The African elephant’s ears can be up to four meters in width, which is larger than the Asian elephant’s ears. The ears of the Asian elephant do not cover its neck; where as the ears of the African elephant’s ears do cover its neck.

The elephant has three stages in its lifecycle. The three stages are baby (which is called an elephant calf), adolescent, and adult. The baby is in the mother’s womb for 22 months (which is the longest gestation period for a mammal.) African elephants can live up to 70 years and Asian elephants can live up to 80 years.

Elephants live in families along with other families, which make up a herd. Elephants have strong leadership within their herds. The leader of the herd is usually the oldest female elephant. She is called the "matriarch." All the babies and other females follow her. A young male elephant stays with the herd until he is fourteen or fifteen years old. Then, he goes out on his own. The young male will try to find a female elephant for a companion and start his own herd.

Elephants have unique eating habits. They only have four teeth and two tusks. The four teeth they have are all molars and their tusks are made of ivory. Ivory is very valuable. Elephants can spend more than twenty hours a day eating and they are considered herbivores. They need to eat large amounts of bark, leaves, and grass each day. Because of the large amounts they eat, elephants can weigh up to 10,000 pounds. Furthermore, it is very hard for elephants to live in zoos because the zoos are still trying to find out what makes them healthy and happy. Some favorite treats for captive elephants are cotton candy and apples.

The elephant is one of the biggest mammals living on land. Elephants live in large herds and have gotten very close to extinction throughout the decades. Throughout the years, they have been shot and killed for their ivory tusks. People can try and help stop this violence by sending in funds to special organizations that help the elephants left in the wild. Sometimes people can even adopt an elephant from the wild.