A baby elephant weighs in at about 115kg, with a height of almost one metre, when they are born – that is reason enough to be flopping about without much control. They are notoriously clumsy which makes them adorably cute. Calves have really bad eyesight but their sense of touch and scent is heightened which makes it easy for them to find their mother.
For the first few months of their lives they stay extra close to their mothers – calves nurse for two years (some go on for ten years) and consume up to 11 litres of milk per day.
The most adorable appendage is their trunk – which they have no clue how to use. They sometimes swing it around aimlessly, trip over it and suck it like a dummy. It is only at 8 months that they figure out what to do with it.
It is interesting to learn that female elephants never leave their herd but males move along to start their own herds when they are 12-14 years old.
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Other interesting facts about ellies:
- 99% of all babies are born at night
- Calves have curls on their foreheads at birth, sometimes it’s red or black
- Female elephants are pregnant for 18-22 months before they give birth
- They communicate through vibrations
- Most don’t know that their tusks are actually teeth
- Elephants have approximately 150 000 muscle units in their trunks
