5 fun facts!

1. Female elephants live in groups of about 15 animals, all related and led by a matriarch, usually the oldest in the group. She’ll decide where and when they move and rest, day to day and season to season.

2. Elephants can get sunburned, so they take care to protect themselves. “Elephants will throw sand on their backs and on their head. They do that to keep them from getting sunburned and to keep bugs off.” To protect their young, adult elephants will douse them in sand and stand over the little ones as they sleep.

3. The elephant’s closest living relative is the rock hyrax, a small furry mammal that lives in rocky landscapes across sub-Saharan Africa and along the coast of the Arabian peninsula.

4. African elephants are the largest land mammals on the planet, and the females of this species undergo the longest pregnancy—22 months.
5. Elephants don’t like peanuts. They don’t eat them in the wild, and zoos don’t feed them to their captive elephants.

link for a 20 month update on a pregnant elephant

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pregnant update

tusk art

Ivory poaching for tucks is the main reason that elephants have been so heavily hunted. Elephant ivory has been used in huge amounts to make billiards balls, piano keys, identification chops and many other items for human enjoyment. I honestly think this is very cruel and we should not be doing this to these elephants.
Historically, ivory was used to make the whites of eyes for statues. It also has been used for fans, false teeth and even dominoes. Before plastic was invented, elephant tusks and their ivory were used to make cutlery handles, musical instruments, billiard balls and piano keys. Elephant ivory is the most important source, but ivory from mammoth, walrus, hippopotamus, sperm whale, killer whale, narwhal and wart hog are used as well. Elk also have two ivory teeth, which are believed to be the remnants of tusks from their ancestors. But, because elephants are bigger they tend to kill them more because they get more of the Ivory. Tusk art is very popular in many countries. Yes, tusk art it very beautiful but just knowing its from an elephant I wouldn't buy it.

endangeredment

There are a couple of main reasons why elephants are endangered – illegal killing of them and the destruction of their habitat. Most  are illegally killed to take their ivory tusks. They are sold for an unbelievable amount of money which makes engaging in that activity so enticing. Poachers are now slaughtering up to 35,000 of the estimated 500,000 African elephants every year for their tusks. A single male elephant's two tusks can weigh more than 250 pounds, with a pound of ivory fetching as much as $1,500 on the black market.

facts about elephants

Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They prefer to stay near water. Animals tend to stay away from elephants besides predators such as lions, tigers, hyenas and wild dogs. Elephants can usually live up to 70 years in the wild. They can communicate by touch, sight, smell and sound. Elephants are highly recognizable and have been found in art, folklore, religion, literature and popular culture. They also have tucks to protect themselves. Elephants usually spend 80% of their time eating. They don't eat any meat, there are on a strictly vegan diet. They consume grass, small plants, bushes, fruits, figs, tree bark and roots.

hello everyone!

Hello everyone my name is kaylyn lawson and my blog is gonna be about elephants. Im going to talk about everything that has to do with an elephant. I chose this topic because elephants are my favorite animal. Elephant day is actually on my birthday, August 12th. I plan on educating you on elephants and explain to you why there going extinct. Give me your opinion on elephants!!