Interesting Animal Facts: Elephants

There’s a saying that an elephant never forgets, but despite having the largest brain of any other mammal of today or in history (with an average weight of 11 pounds), this large creature does indeed have slips of the mind. In this article, you will also learn more about their tusks and daily habits.

It’s difficult to truly pinpoint the intelligence of animals when compared with humans, but humans use a system centered on what is known as the “encephalization quotient (EQ)” , the ratio of an animal’s observed brain size to body mass. Scientists have studied the challenges that animals are able to navigate according to the size of their brain. The average EG of an elephant is 1.88, while humans rank between 7.33 and 7.69. To get a better picture, chimps possess an average EQ of 2.45. Since brain smarts and memory are linked together, scientists have always assumed that an elephant displays an impeccable memory. For more interesting facts about these gentle giants, consider the following facts and trivia:

10 Elephant Facts

1.    Some male elephants reach heights of 13 feet tall and can weigh as much as a school bus , between 10,000 and 14,000 pounds.

2.    Elephants follow a matriarchal system referred to as a herd with the leader being the oldest female. Before branching out on their own, young males remain with the herd until they turn about 15 years old.

3.    During hot spells, elephants take dips in lakes and rivers, or shower themselves with their trunks. To cool off, an elephant may also roll around in a shady bed of mud.

4.    Elephants eat things growing low to the ground during the wet season, while they use their trunk to get food from tall trees and bushes during the dry season.

5.    Elephants most sleep in a standing position, getting about 4 to 5 hours per night.

6.    During prehistoric times, elephants were plentiful. Today, the African elephant and Asian elephant are the only two surviving species.

7.    The tusks of an elephant serve as the elongated incisors for the creatures, where nearly 1/3 of their total length is found hidden inside of their skull. On record, the largest tusk ever encountered weighed 214 pounds and measured 138 inches long.

8.    The ears of the African elephant are more than two times larger than the Asian elephant. They possess a different shape, which some have likened to a map of Africa.

9.    One of the keenest senses of an elephant is their ability to smell.

10.    The majority of an elephant’s day is spent eating, where the animal takes around 16 hours to conclude. The rest of their day consists of drinking, bathing, dusting, wallowing, playing and resting. They require between 30 and 50 gallons of water per day.  

Source: Life Science