A day in the lives ofelephants
The family unit of African elephants averages 8-10 animals,consisting of an old cow called the Matriarch, her adult daughters, theirsuckling calves, and a number of juveniles and adolescent male and femaleoffspring. As the leader of the herd, the matriarch is responsible for theherd’s safety and for providing sufficient food and water. The mind of thematriarch contains local elephant lore handed down through generations. AdultAfrican bulls tend to be solitary or with other bulls in small, relativelyunstable groups, however are also frequently found with cow-calf groups when femalesare reproductively active. Elephants communicate with each other through verylow frequency vocalisations called infrasound which travels a distance of 20-30km, and by contact such as rubbing orentwining trunks, as well as by scent.Touchis a very important way of communicating feelings - to reassure a frightenedmember of the family, other elephants stand close. To reprimand a naughty calf,a mother smacks it with her trunk. Like dogs, elephants show a great interestin urine. When a female is in oestrus (in heat and ready to mate) her urine willhave a slightly different smell; male elephants will inhale this scent thencurl the trunk inwards to blow it over a small opening in the mouth, called theJacobson’s gland or vominasal. This is the organ which detects whether a female is ready tomate.
Reproduction in African elephants
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In an elephant bullthe testes are located near the kidneys inside the body, the peniscontrolled by voluntary muscles. Bulls begin to produce spermbetween the ages of 10 and 15 years, although are unlikely to father manycalves at this stage. A bull produces as much as a litre of ejaculate,the act of mating taking only about a minute. Cows are sexually active during a short period called an oestrus cycle, coming into season every 4 months. They reachsexual maturity from 9 - 10 years of age and can give birth until their mid 50s. |
Pregnancy
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Pregnancy lasts approximately 22 months, in the 3rd month of pregnancy the trunk, ears and tail are already present in the developing foetus. A newborn calf weighs as much as 120kg at birth. The mammary glands (breasts) are located between the forelegs, enabling the mother to be in touch with her calf while it drinks milk. A baby elephant will suckle from its mother for about two years; when not lactating the mammary glands shrink. |
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What is Musth? The phenomenon of musth is described as naturalbehaviour in adult male elephants and is thought to be associated withsexual activity and / or communication, although the exact function ofthe gland is not known. It has for centuries been noted to appearannually, and on occasion up to three times a year in healthy bullelephants, occuring the first time when they are between 15 and 20 years old. The word ‘musth’ comes from the elephant people in the FarEast - in Hindi, it means intoxicated. The phenomenon occurs in bothAfrican and Asian elephants. The most obvious signs of musth are thecopious secretion from the swollen and enlarged temporal glandsassociated with a sharp increase in aggressive behaviour and thecontinuous discharge of urine. The musth / temporal gland is found justbelow the skin midway between the eye and the ear on either side of the head. |
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The Non-stop diet
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Elephants are herbivores (plant eaters) andspend approximately three quarters of their time, day and night, eating. An adult elephant will eat between 100 to 200kg of vegetation per day,depending on both its habitat and size. |
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Disease and Mortality An elephant’s lifespan is approximately 65 years.Internal parasites like worms and external parasites like ticks andlice are unlikely to cause ill health unless the elephant is alreadysuffering from malnutrition. An elephant has six sets of teeth, whenthe final set are worn to the gums the elephant will inevitably die ofstarvation. In SouthAfrica more and more elephants are being born tuskless due to thevirtual elimination of all big tuskers through hunting in the late 19thcentury, with this particular genotype (genetic type) subsequently being lost. Elephants will usually stay with their dead relative for hours after its death. Apart from drought, poaching for ivory is nowthe single largest cause ofmortality in African elephants. In October1989 CITES (Convention on International Trade in endangered species ofWild Fauna and Flora) banned all trade in elephant products. Poachinghas caused the virtual elimination of the African elephant in countrieslike Sudan, Somalia, Chad and Mozambique. Strict anti-poaching lawsin South Africa and Zimbabwe have thankfully led to a steady increase inelephant numbers in the 20th century. |
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