Using her trunk as a hand and arm, an elephant feeds herself.
What would you do with a trunk if you had one? Would you use it to pick up things? To suck up water? Would Dylan be able to make an even louder trumpeting noise?!
Using her trunk as a hand and arm, an elephant feeds herself.
A long trunk is a wonderful adaptation that has developed in elephants over many generations, during the millions of years they've been on earth. Millions of years ago they didn't have the very long trunk that they do now. However, those that had a longer trunk than their peers were able to survive longer and have more babies who also had longer trunks. This process repeated itself generation after generation as the elephant evolved into the animal with the long "nose" we recognize today.
An elephant vacuums up water with her trunk and then squirts it into her mouth.
So, how does a trunk help an elephant? It uses it as a suction device to suck up water, and then squirt it into its mouth. It can't drink the water through its trunk, because the trunk is also its nose. I loved watching them do this when we came upon some elephants at a river. Since it's a nose, the elephant can also inhale dirt into its trunk and then blow it out over its head to get rid of bothersome bugs. You'll see an elephant do this in the video.
An elephant vacuums up water with her trunk and then squirts it into her mouth.
A calf picks up a strip of bark, just as he's seen his mother do. What do you think he does next?
The elephant also uses the trunk as a hand. It picks up branches to eat, and sometimes even throws them at an enemy! It touches another elephant with its trunk as a sign of friendship.
A calf picks up a strip of bark, just as he's seen his mother do. What do you think he does next?
Here are two very surprising ways I saw the elephant use its long nose. It touches the ground in front of it when walking to make sure it's safe. You'll see this in the video of the mommy elephant and calf (baby elephant) crossing the road. Notice that they keep touching the ground with their trunks. The calf won't go down to the road until he's sure his trunk can touch the ground first.
Secondly, if an elephant hasn't seen a friend in awhile, it will put its trunk into the other's mouth as a friendly gesture. Warning. Don't do this the next time you see your friend. Just give a high five!
The trunk is also used as a signalling device. The elephant raises its trunk and makes a loud trumpeting sound when it wants to call other elephants or scare a predator away. Now, wouldn't it be fun to be able to do THAT?!
A calf learns to get food by watching her mother.
Of all the animals we saw on safari, the elephants were the most interesting to watch. They are very intelligent animals that socialize a lot with each other. (Many other kinds of animals hang out together in herds, but don't really socialize with each other.) The best entertainment on the Serengeti is watching baby elephants. They push and tease each other, play together, playfully fight, and also try to imitate the grown-up elephants.
A calf learns to get food by watching her mother.
I saw one calf that went off with his friend. He realized he had wandered too far away from his mommy and couldn't find her. He began looking this way and that, running around the many elephants that were standing in the herd. It was easy to see he was worried. Finally he found her! They touched each other tenderly with their trunks, and then he stayed very close to her.
The liquid that comes out of a hole on an elephant's head has a particular smell to help the elephants identify each other.
How does a calf recognize its mother? Smell. If you look closely at some of the photos on this page, you see a dark wet stain on the elephant's face, between the eye and the ear. The liquid has a smell that's unique to that animal. People have unique smells too, although usually we try to decrease them by bathing often and using deodorant. Still, I bet if you blindfolded yourself you could recognize your parent by smell alone. Give it a try!
The liquid that comes out of a hole on an elephant's head has a particular smell to help the elephants identify each other.
Calves are taken care of by their mother and aunts.
We saw many elephant herds while on safari. They were made up of 10 – 20 female (women) elephants and several calves. The mother and the "aunts" all help raise the calves together. Herds are always led by the oldest, largest female. She will lead the way when going to a new place where there might be danger, and she'll make sure she's last when the herd is running away from danger, always protecting her herd. A group of females typically stay together all their lives – over 50 years!
Calves are taken care of by their mother and aunts.
When we saw an elephant by itself, we knew it was a male (man). The adult males usually live alone, although they may travel with a few other males for a little while, before going their own way again. Similarly, males will come visit the female herds for awhile, but then go off on their own again.
Sometimes male elehants will fight. If you ever see an elephant lifting its head very high, with its ears forward, and quickly unfurling its trunk as it makes a loud trumpeting sound, you've got a big problem. Those are the signals that the elephant is about to charge at you! If you were another big elephant, he would tuck his trunk under (as it's actually quite sensitive) and get ready to hit you with his head and tear you with his two long teeth (tusks).
How does an elephant scratch its back?
Here's the good news and bad news about elephants in an ecosystem . The bad news is that they're really hard on their habitat. They're herbivores, so they eat only plants (no meat). But they have really big bodies, so they need A LOT of food. I'm sure you can guess the result. A herd of elephants will eat not only the leaves off the trees, but it will then eat the branches, and THEN it will strip the bark off the trees with its tusks for dessert! If an elephant can't reach the high branches it wants, it'll keep hitting its head on the trunk of the tree until it knocks it over. Needless to say, this kills many trees, and can destroy an entire forest.
How does an elephant scratch its back?
Here's the good news. The elephants swallow the seeds of the trees whole. You know what that means – they're still in good shape when they're pooped out the other end. Isn't that fantastic?! That means they're able to grow into trees, beginning their new lives in a wonderful fertilizer – elephant dung. So, although the elephants may destroy a forest, it will eventually grow back into a new forest after the elephants have moved along to a new area.
The dung beetle also thinks it's fantastic. This little decomposer rolls up animal dung into a ball, and then burrows inside. It uses it as a home, AND as breakfast, lunch and dinner!
The very sad news is that some areas still have trouble with poachers. They kill elephants so they can cut off their tusks and sell them for a lot of money. It's illegal, but it can be hard to catch the poachers. It's hard to imagine that anyone would want to harm these magnificent, fascinating animals. The happy news is that there are park rangers, governmental organizations, and other groups (like the World Wildlife Fund) that are working to keep the elephants safe. What do you think? What do you think would happen to this ecosystem if all of the elephants were killed off?
Hi,Why do elephants grow so big? Also how big was the baby elephant? 🙂 😉
Elephants are so big because their species has evolved that way over millions of years. It has helped them survive and not become extinct. The baby elephant in the video was about 3 feet tall. Isn’t it darling? It wouldn’t be a good pet for long, though. It will get to be 11 feet tall at the shoulders!
we both think this is very fasinating and that we were wondering if you could tell us what type of elephents there are. 🙂
There are African elephants and Asian elephants. These are African elephants.
Why didn’t you choose the black mamba or the mongoose or the king cobra?
I didn't choose those animals for this blog because I didn't see them while on safari in Tanzania. They might have been around, but I didn't see them. Now that I'm in South Africa, I've seen a mongoose run through my backyard. He's very quick so I haven't captured a picture of him yet. I'll keep trying. I have been told to watch out for the cape cobras that are also in the area (because there's just wilderness behind our house, all the way up the mountain). If I see one of these, I hope it's at a good distance!
Why did you choose to go to Africa?
My husband and I go to live in a different country (for a year) every seventh year. This time we chose to go to the country of South Africa for several reasons. 1) We had never been here before so it would be interesting to learn about the country and its culture. 2) The southern part of the country has a nice climate, so it's not too hot or too cold where we're living now. 3) Most of the people speak English so we can communicate with them. 4) We had heard that it's very beautiful here. It is! 5) The University of Cape Town is here. My husband (a professor of geology) can talk with the university professors here. I am also working with one of the professors at the university for the Fulbright project I'm working on while here.
We ended up going on safari in Tanzania because I had heard about photographic safaris many years ago when I was just a kid. My uncle and his family had gone on one. It sounded awesome! My family didn't travel very much when I was growing up, so I kept the idea in the back of my mind for many years. As you know, in 4th grade we have an Ecosystem Unit. Last year, my 4th graders and I read The Lion King while also studying the real animals of the Serengeti. (That's the setting for The Lion King.) It gave me the idea of going there on our way down to South Africa, to see the real Serengeti and its ecosystem. If I could have, I would have taken all my 4th graders with me, but I think their parents would have missed them too much, so I went and created this blog to share with all of the Cottage Lane students instead. That's what I love about school. It can give you great ideas!
Were you scared when the elaphants went across the road. I also have another question. How are you going to spend Christmas in Africa?
No, I wasn't scared. The elephants didn't seem upset about the safari trucks, so they wouldn't attack them.
We're not sure how we'll spend Christmas yet. It will be the beginning of summer on December 25th, so maybe we'll have a picnic on the beach! 🙂
The calf is so cute.
I wonder what it would be like to ride on one
It’s scary at first when you just get on, but then you get used to hanging on for your life! Just kidding, sometimes there is a small box on top of the elephant. The elephant kneels down and a rider will bring you to your destination. There’s that and riding on 1 with a saddle-like object on it. The elephant tamer always leads the elephant to wherever you want. It is really fun! 🙂
HI Mrs. Cristie-Blick! I just wanted to tell you that in India, I have actually have went and rode ON a ELEPHANT before when it was summer vacation. I was 6 years old that time. I was excited and scared at the same time!
Wow! What a memorable experience! I’ve heard that in India elephants are tamed and trained. They are very intelligent animals and learn quickly. People in Tanzania do not tame their elelphants.
Elephants are so cool! They are a little weird too, maybe because they are so big and their trunk is so heavy!
Why was the baby elephant skared to cross the rode?
The ground goes down steeply by the road. The baby tried to touch the ground with his trunk, but at first he couldn’t reach. An elephant won’t step forward if its trunk can’t touch the ground. The baby walked sideways a bit until he could touch the ground.
how many pounds can an female elephant grow.and how long can they grow
A female elephant can weigh 8000 poiunds and be over 10 feet in length. No wonder people stay out of their way. We’re so puny in comparison!
i wonder how long the flight was
It took about 18 hours to fly from New York to Johannesburg, South Africa. We got on another plane and flew 3 hours to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We got on another plane and flew just over 1 hour to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The Serengeti is a very long way from New York!
Wow Miss Christe-Blick that is amazing ! Can you tell me what elaphants eat? i saw the elephant video and now i am really interested. Please write back.
Hi Zoe. Sure! Elephants are herbivores. They eat only plants, like grass, bushes and trees. They’re such big animals that they need to eat A LOT. I think you might like the Big Zoo website. It has lots of interesting information about elephants and other animals. Just copy and paste this URL:
http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/African_Elephant.asp
where were you in the mounbtins it looked like they were traviling
how much can elephants weigh?
A male African elephant can weigh over 16,500 pounds. That’s over 8 tons!
Elephants are super big and those tusk look sharp. I bet that they can cut through almost anything!
Did you know females are the leaders in the herd.
There so big and giant.
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I think that the baby elephants playing was the cutest thing I ever saw! 🙂
in the first video the mom's or dad's tunk is very long
i love this i always wanted to go to africa because of the animals
the elephant video is so cool. I wish i could see that in real life. Elephants are my favorite animal. I had a spiecal stuffed animal and i named it ele the elephant.
Those are such cool pictures of the elaphents
The elephant video is so cool so is the lion video. I wish i could see a lion and an elephant. I also saw the pictures of the Zebras. you are so lucky.
I think that the largest female (the leader) is very loyal to her fellow aunts and calves, even if the calves aren't even her own. I also think that it is very touching to see that elephants care for each other so much that they would be the last of the group to run away from predators.