African Elephant Essay Example For Students

African Elephant Essay The common name is the African Elephant, the scientific name is LoxodontaAfricana, the phylum is Vertebrata, the class is Mammalia, the order is Proboscidea,and the family is Elephantidae. The Closest Relatives to the African Elephant are: theAsian Elephant, mammoths, primitive proboscidean (mastodons), sea cows, andhyraxes. Scientists believe that the African Elephant evolved from one of its closestrelatives, the Sea Cow. The geographical location and range of the African elephant covers all ofcentral and southern Africa. In Ethiopia there are isolated populations that existaround Lake Chad in Mali and Mauritania. Also in Kenya, Rhodesia, Tanzania,Zambia, Uganda, Zaire, and in National parks located in South Africa, as well asseveral other countries. African Elephants, originally, were found in all of theSub-Saharan African habitats except desert steppes. Elephants still occupy diversehabitats such as: temperate grassland, tropical savanna and grass lands, temperateforest and rainfo rest, tropical rainforest, tropical scrub forest, and tropical deciduousforest despite their drastic decline in numbers. However, their migratory patterns andhabitat use have changed, due to the fact that they are restricted to protected areas. The elephant can exist in many types of environments but it prefers places that havemany trees and bushes, which the elephant needs both for food and shade. They alsolike warm areas that have plenty of rainfall. This ensures plenty of food, shade, andwater. The elephant prefers a habitat of mixed woodland and grassland which givesthem an opportunity to eat a variety of vegetation. African Elephants are considered herbivores, they are both browsers andgrazers; they will eat rough sticks, stems and leaves of plants as well as grasses,sedges, and fruit. Their favorites are mangoes, berries and coconuts. An elephant eatsup to 500 pounds of vegetation every day and drinks up to 50 gallons of water daily. Elephants must consume these giant quantiti es of food, due to their poor digestivesystem. The small intestine is 82 feet long, the large intestine 21 feet long, and therectum adds a further 13 feet. The problem with the digestive tract lies in their gut;elephants have too few symbiotic bacteria. These are the organisms which help breakdown the cellulose of plant cell walls by producing enzymes called cellulases. Themost remarkable feature of the elephants digestive system is its 5 feet long appendix,bigger than the stomach. Proteins, starches, and sugars are digested in the appendix. The elephant will excrete almost 200 pounds a day of semi-digested food. Elephants live together in strong family units which might have as few as two oras many as twenty members. When the group gets too big, it splits up; but the groupsstay in close contact. Elephant life revolves around this unit which is usually headedby the oldest female. The family offers protection, aid, comfort, and teaching to all ofits members. Within the units are cows , calves, and bulls. The male bulls are verysolitary and most of the time travel only with other males, except during mating seasonwhen the bulls travel with the pack looking for a mate. The males remain with thefamily unit until they are about fourteen and then leave the family to join the othermales. The African elephant usually gives birth to one calf every four years. Thegestation period is approximately twenty to twenty two years. The newborn calf,which weighs 200-300 pounds and stands about three feet high, is cared for by all ofthe females in the pack, not just by the mother. The calf may nurse as long as eightyears, or until its tusks are too long for the mother. It takes about 14 to 15 years for anelephant to fully mature. They grow to about 10-13 feet tall and 7.5 meters in lengthand weigh as much as 7 tons. The family will remain together throughout their lives. The elephants body has many special features which it has adapted throughoutthe centuries to help it survive in its environment. The most important part of theelephants body is its trunk. An elephant uses its trunk for many things. With it, theelephant can pick up objects that weigh as much as 600 lbs. This powerful trunk isalso used to beat off attacking animals and sometimes mother elephants use theirtrunks to swat their babies. The trunk, which is very flexible, can curl over theelephants head so that the elephant can give itself showers and dust baths. The trunkalso curls towards the elephants mouth so it can eat and drink. At the end of the trunkthe elephant has finger-like projections similar to the human thumb and forefinger. With this the elephant can pick up small objects. Baby elephants often suck theirtrunks just like human babies suck their thumbs. The nostrils at the tip of the trunk arehighly sensitive, an elephant can detect a water source from as far as 12 miles away,and detect the reproductive status of another elephant from some distance. America Under Invasion EssayBibliographyGaeth, A.P. The Developing Renal, Reproductive, and Respiratory systems of the African Elephant Suggest an Aquatic Ancestry. Proceeding of the NationalAcademy of Sciences of the United States of America Volume 96, No 10. May 11, 1999 pg. 5555-5558This primary source gave us information on the ancestry of the African Elephant,such as their closest relatives. It also told us the endangered status of the animal. Groning, Karl., and Martin Saller. Elephants A Cultural and Natural HistoryKONEMANN 1999. This source gave us information on all aspects of the elephants physicalcomposition, specifically the digestive system, and homeostatic mechanisms. Hoare, Richard E., and Johan T. Du Toit. Coexistence between People and Elephants in African Savannas Conservation Biology Volume 13, No 3. June 1999 pg. 633-639 This primary source gave us details on elephant population in regards to humansettlement. Moore, Tara. The Endangered Species Elephants. pp. 15-20, 27-32. Champaign, IL: Garrad Publishing Company 1982. This source delt with some of the basic facts about the elephant, such as their diet andgeographical location and range. Norton, Boyd. The African Elephant: Last Days of Eden. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, 1991. This source gave us information on population figures, poaching, natural disasters,and birth control methods. Overbeck, Cynthia. Elephants. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1983This source gave us information on the family groups of elephants, and on theirmethods of communication, and also detail about their tusks, and trunks as defensivemechanisms.