• Elephant calves nurse with their mouth (not trunk) and may not be fully weaned until the birth of the next calf.
• Full-grown elephants consume about six to eight percent of their own body weight in vegetation each day. They spend as many as 18 hours per day feeding.
• A trunk weighs about 400 pounds and can hold up to 2.5 gallons of water.
• These massive animals can drink 26 gallons of water at one time and, when thirsty, more than 55 gallons within minutes.
• Due to their large size, adult elephants have no natural predators. Young elephants, however, are occasionally preyed on by tigers. |