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Elephant Rehabilitation Centre at Kappukadu, popularly known as 'Kottoor Elephant Rehabilitation Centre', a rehabilitation centre for elephants, established by Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department - State Government of Kerala, situated in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Agasthyavanam Biological Park Range.
Location: Kappukadu, Kottoor(Kottur), Kuttichal, Kattakada, Thriuvananthapuram District, Kerala State, India.
Makalolo Camp, Zimbabwe.
Taken from the log pile hide beside the waterhole, looking back towards camp.
African Elephant
Description
Body rotund ; skin nearly hairless ,grey or brownish and wrinkled.
A creature as big as a truck, with a nose as long as it's legs that functions as a siphon,snorkel (on deep water crossings),squirt-gun,trumpet,& feeding tool powerful enough to rip branches from trees but delicate enough ,with finger like projections at the tip,to pickup a pea. Such a bulky,compact body is subject to overheating , so elephants must have shade or water holes at midday . Huge,sail like ears also dissipate heat from veins lying just under the skin. Tusks which occur in both sexes are upper incisors that never stop growing.
Habitat
Rain forests to sub deserts ,swamps and sea shores
Breeding
Most mating and births occur during rainy season;1 calf born after gestation of 22 months, the LONGEST in mammals
Facts
A cohesive herd 9-11 females and their calves is the basic social unit, led by the biggest oldest cow(matriarch)
Males leave the herd at puberty, when they are 12 years old, and spend rest of their lives alternately associating with other males and wandering alone.
ELEPHANTS ARE RARE OUTSIDE RESERVES BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE HUNTING FOR TUSKS
The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the larger of the two species of African elephant. Both it and the African Forest Elephant have usually been classified as a single species, known simply as the African Elephant. Some authorities still consider the currently available evidence insufficient for splitting the African Elephant into two species. It is also known as the Bush Elephant or Savanna Elephant.
The African Elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal, normally reaching 6 to 7.3 metres (19.7 to 24.0 ft) in length and 3 to 3.5 metres (9.8 to 11.5 ft) in height at the head, and weighing between 6,000 to 9,000 kg (13,000 to 20,000 lb).
The largest on record, shot in Angola in 1965, was a bull weighing 12,274 kg (27,060 lb) and standing 4.2 metres (13.8 ft) high, the body of which is now mounted in the rotunda of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.. (The museum's website states that the specimen weighs only 8 tons[4].) The Bush Elephant normally moves at a rate of 6 km/h (4 mph), but it can reach a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) when scared or upset.
The animal is characterized by its large head; two large ears that cover its shoulders and radiate excess heat; a large and muscular trunk; two prominent tusks, which are well-developed in both sexes, although more commonly in males; a short neck; a large, barrel-like body; four long and heavy legs; and a relatively short tail.
The animal is protected by a heavy but flexible layer of gray-brown skin, dotted with mostly undeveloped patches of hair and long, black hair at the tip of its tail. Its back feet have three toes that form a hoof, while the number of toes on the front feet have varied between four and five. The forehead is smoother and less convex than that of the Asian Elephant.
The trunk is the most characteristic feature of the African Bush Elephant. It is formed by the fusion and elongation of the nose and upper lip, forming a flexible and strong organ made purely of muscle.
Little scientific research has been carried out into elephants' cognitive or perceptual abilities. An exception is a recent report that African Bush Elephants are able to use seismic vibrations at infrasound frequencies for communication
Wild Animal Park Escondido Ca.
African Elephant
Description
Body rotund ; skin nearly hairless ,grey or brownish and wrinkled.
A creature as big as a truck, with a nose as long as it's legs that functions as a siphon,snorkel (on deep water crossings),squirt-gun,trumpet,& feeding tool powerful enough to rip branches from trees but delicate enough ,with finger like projections at the tip,to pickup a pea. Such a bulky,compact body is subject to overheating , so elephants must have shade or water holes at midday . Huge,sail like ears also dissipate heat from veins lying just under the skin. Tusks which occur in both sexes are upper incisors that never stop growing.
Habitat
Rain forests to sub deserts ,swamps and sea shores
Breeding
Most mating and births occur during rainy season;1 calf born after gestation of 22 months, the LONGEST in mammals
Facts
A cohesive herd 9-11 females and their calves is the basic social unit, led by the biggest oldest cow(matriarch)
Males leave the herd at puberty, when they are 12 years old, and spend rest of their lives alternately associating with other males and wandering alone.
ELEPHANTS ARE RARE OUTSIDE RESERVES BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE HUNTING FOR TUSKS
The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the larger of the two species of African elephant. Both it and the African Forest Elephant have usually been classified as a single species, known simply as the African Elephant. Some authorities still consider the currently available evidence insufficient for splitting the African Elephant into two species. It is also known as the Bush Elephant or Savanna Elephant.
The African Elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal, normally reaching 6 to 7.3 metres (19.7 to 24.0 ft) in length and 3 to 3.5 metres (9.8 to 11.5 ft) in height at the head, and weighing between 6,000 to 9,000 kg (13,000 to 20,000 lb).
The largest on record, shot in Angola in 1965, was a bull weighing 12,274 kg (27,060 lb) and standing 4.2 metres (13.8 ft) high, the body of which is now mounted in the rotunda of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.. (The museum's website states that the specimen weighs only 8 tons.) The Bush Elephant normally moves at a rate of 6 km/h (4 mph), but it can reach a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) when scared or upset.
The animal is characterized by its large head; two large ears that cover its shoulders and radiate excess heat; a large and muscular trunk; two prominent tusks, which are well-developed in both sexes, although more commonly in males; a short neck; a large, barrel-like body; four long and heavy legs; and a relatively short tail.
The animal is protected by a heavy but flexible layer of gray-brown skin, dotted with mostly undeveloped patches of hair and long, black hair at the tip of its tail. Its back feet have three toes that form a hoof, while the number of toes on the front feet have varied between four and five. The forehead is smoother and less convex than that of the Asian Elephant.
The trunk is the most characteristic feature of the African Bush Elephant. It is formed by the fusion and elongation of the nose and upper lip, forming a flexible and strong organ made purely of muscle.
Little scientific research has been carried out into elephants' cognitive or perceptual abilities. An exception is a recent report that African Bush Elephants are able to use seismic vibrations at infrasound frequencies for communication
Wild Animal Park Escondido Ca.
Baby elephant drinks water at Digan wala water hole, Yala National Park, under the watchful eyes of his herd.
The African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) the largest living land animal. Gorom, Cameroon.
Photo by Daniel Tiveau/CIFOR
If you use one of our photos, please credit it accordingly and let us know. You can reach us through our Flickr account or at: cifor-mediainfo@cgiar.org and m.edliadi@cgiar.org
On the way out of the Minneriya park, we encounter yet another herd of wild elephants. Some of the animals surprisingly appeared to be frightened of the now accelerating vehicles (no need to stop on the way out!), and were seem jumping aside like cattle. Not good safari driver behaviour though. (Minneriya, Sri Lanka, June 2011).
This lady kept turning away from me when I tried to get her picture, I guess she was feeling a little self-conscious about her weight.
Asian elephants have long been important to humans. Whether it's their key role in the Hindu religion and culture, their longstanding use as beasts of burden, their slaughter for the ivory trade, or their current conflicts with the exploding human population -- elephants have always fascinated us.
Found in theScrub forests, adjoining grasslands, few remaining jungles of India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia, Elephants have been domesticated in Asia for centuries, bred to move people and cargo. In the past, wealthy Indians and royalty owned elephants, riding on their elaborately decorated backs on hunting trips into the bush. Because they are intelligent and docile (when well treated), they have been widely used in the lumber industry to haul heavy items such as teak logs.
Asian elephants are in trouble today more than ever before. They've been hunted for the past 150 years for their tusks, which supply the profitable but destructive ivory trade. As if that weren't enough, they are now losing their land to the increasing human population throughout Asia. Across much of the elephants' range, their forest and grassland habitat is being transformed into farmland and villages. Adding to the problem is the increasing commercial demand for forest-derived products such as coffee, tea, rubber, and hardwoods.
Only about 35,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants survive today in fragmented populations - a small fraction of the numbers that used to range throughout most of Asia. The species faces a real risk of becoming extinct in the wild. Many groups and governments are working to help Asian elephants: an international agreement bans the trade in elephant products. Zoos and other conservation organizations are also doing what they can.
You can also help by refusing to buy products made from ivory or other elephant parts, and by making sure the forest products you purchase come from sustainable producers.
- An elephant's trunk can get very heavy, so it's not uncommon to see an elephant resting its trunk over a tusk!
- At full charge, an elephant can run over 30 miles an hour.
- The average lifespan of an elephant in the wild and in zoos is 45 years.
- Contrary to popular belief, elephants don't really make "graveyards" for the dead members of their family. But they do exhibit unexplained behaviors towards elephant carcasses and bones, carrying them, pushing them for hours, etc. Some explain it as grief, but scientists don't know.
African Elephant
Description
Body rotund ; skin nearly hairless ,grey or brownish and wrinkled.
A creature as big as a truck, with a nose as long as it's legs that functions as a siphon,snorkel (on deep water crossings),squirt-gun,trumpet,& feeding tool powerful enough to rip branches from trees but delicate enough ,with finger like projections at the tip,to pickup a pea. Such a bulky,compact body is subject to overheating , so elephants must have shade or water holes at midday . Huge,sail like ears also dissipate heat from veins lying just under the skin. Tusks which occur in both sexes are upper incisors that never stop growing.
Habitat
Rain forests to sub deserts ,swamps and sea shores
Breeding
Most mating and births occur during rainy season;1 calf born after gestation of 22 months, the LONGEST in mammals
Facts
A cohesive herd 9-11 females and their calves is the basic social unit, led by the biggest oldest cow(matriarch)
Males leave the herd at puberty, when they are 12 years old, and spend rest of their lives alternately associating with other males and wandering alone.
ELEPHANTS ARE RARE OUTSIDE RESERVES BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE HUNTING FOR TUSKS
Loxodonta africana
The Elephants of the genus Loxodonta, known collectively as African elephants, are currently found in 37 countries in Africa.
African elephants are distinguished from Asian elephants in several ways, the most noticeable being their much larger ears. In addition, the African elephant is typically larger than the Asian elephant and has a concave back. In Asian elephants only males have tusks, but both males and females of African elephants have tusks and are usually less hairy than their Asian cousins.
African elephants have traditionally been classified as a single species comprising two distinct subspecies, namely the savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) and the forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), but recent DNA analysis suggests that these may actually constitute distinct species. This split is not universally accepted by experts[16] and a third species of African elephant has also been proposed.
This reclassification has implications for conservation. If there are two separate species, each will be less abundant and could be more endangered than a more numerous and wide-ranging single species. Conversely,there is also a potential danger that, if the forest elephant is not explicitly listed as an endangered species, poachers and smugglers might be able to evade the law forbidding trade in endangered animals and their products.
The Forest elephant and the Savanna elephant can also hybridise (interbreed) though their preferences for different terrains reduce such opportunities. As the African elephant has only recently been recognized to comprise two separate species, groups of captive elephants have not been comprehensively classified and some could well be hybrids.
Under the new two species classification, Loxodonta africana refers specifically to the Savanna Elephant, the largest of all elephants. It is the largest land animal, with males standing 3.2 metres (10 ft) to 4 metres (13 ft) at the shoulder and weighing 3,500 kilograms (7,700 lb) up to a reported 12,000 kilograms (26,000 lb).. The female is smaller, standing about 3 metres (9.8 ft) at the shoulder. Most often, Savanna Elephants are found in open grasslands, marshes, and lakeshores. They range over much of the savanna zone south of the Sahara.
The other putative species, the Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), is usually smaller and rounder, and its tusks thinner and straighter compared with the Savanna Elephant. The Forest Elephant can weigh up to 4,500 kilograms (9,900 lb) and stand about 3 metres (10 ft) tall. Much less is known about these animals than their savanna cousins, because environmental and political obstacles make them difficult to study. Normally, they inhabit the dense African rain forests of central and western Africa, although occasionally they roam the edges of forests, thus overlapping the Savanna elephant territories and hybridizing. In 1979, Iain Douglas-Hamilton estimated the continental population of African elephants at around 1.3 million animals. This estimate is controversial and is believed to be a gross overestimate, but it is very widely cited and has become a de facto baseline that continues to be incorrectly used to quantify downward population trends in the species. Through the 1980s, Loxodonta received worldwide attention due to the dwindling numbers of major populations in East Africa, largely as a result of poaching. According to IUCN’s African Elephant Status Report 2007 there are approximately between 470,000 and 690,000 African elephants in the wild. Although this estimate only covers about half of the total elephant range, experts do not believe the true figure to be much higher, as it is unlikely that large populations remain to be discovered.[23] By far the largest populations are now found in Southern and Eastern Africa, which together account for the majority of the continental population. According to a recent analysis by IUCN experts, most major populations in Eastern and Southern Africa are stable or have been steadily increasing since the mid-1990s, at an average rate of 4.5% per year.
Elephant populations in West Africa, on the other hand, are generally small and fragmented, and only account for a small proportion of the continental total.[25] Much uncertainty remains as to the size of the elephant population in Central Africa, where the prevalence of forest makes population surveys difficult, but poaching for ivory and bushmeat is believed to be intense through much of the region. South Africa elephant population more than doubled, rising from 8,000 to over 20,000, in the thirteen years after a 1995 ban on killing the animals. The ban was lifted in February 2008, sparking controversy among environmental groups
Kilimanjaro Safari
Walt Disney World-Animal Kingdom-Orlando Fl.