Majestic and mighty, elephants from ancient times evoke a sense of a certain humble respect and immense serenity. Despite the fact that many millions of years ago, the habitat of this animal spread over almost the entire territory of the globe, today they can be found only in a few countries of the world.
Elephant home
The natural habitat of elephants is the savannas and forests of Africa, the territory of modern China, Laos, Thailand and India. By the way, it is Indian elephants that lend themselves best to training, and it is them that visitors have the opportunity to contemplate, coming to the circus for unique performances with the participation of these mammals. By the way, in the numerous roaming troupes that are popular in Indonesia, elephants are also able to perform very unusual tricks, for example, juggle with trifles. If you come across such a troupe during your trip, exchange paper notes for change in advance at the nearest machine at your local bank.
Asian and African elephants, despite their close relationship, fundamentally differ from each other not only in the structure of the skeleton, but also in the features of behavior. So, African elephants are more aggressive and are distinguished by their enormous size, which rightfully classifies this animal as one of the largest inhabitants of the land.
The huge, columnar legs are capable of supporting the truly enormous weight of the animal, capable of standing on its hind legs and crossing vast distances in search of a watering hole.
A flock of elephants, as a rule, does not have any specific habitat in the savannah, it moves in search of food and water. The adults arrange the night in such a way that the cubs are in the center of the circle that the members of the flock form. In the open, elephants rarely spend the night, preferring lowlands or shrub thickets, from which, however, little remains after them.
Elephant life in nature
The elephant, despite its massiveness, is not so invulnerable, so nature has awarded it with specific protective mechanisms. Huge ears are responsible for the delicate and sensitive hearing of elephants, sometimes they serve as an important addition to protect from the scorching sun. The powerful cranium is able to withstand a huge load of hypertrophied incisors, which are commonly called tusks. Tusks serve as an important element in the struggle for safety and procreation in the savannah.
The huge trunk is somewhere in between the upper lip and nose. It allows the owner of a short neck to handle even very small objects dexterously. With the help of their trunks, elephants can recognize each other's scent at ultra-long distances of up to 5 kilometers.
In the African savannah, elephants with the help of their trunks can overcome a few water obstacles, completely immersing their bodies in water and using the trunk as a kind of breathing tube.
These truly wise creatures throughout their lives remain faithful to the flock they join. The elephant, forced to satisfy the nutritional needs of its body, spends all daylight hours and even several hours of the night in search of plants and leaves. It's funny to see how this huge animal can knock down a tree for the sake of laughter or participate in playful martial arts.
Despite its harmless and sociable character, the elephant, of course, cannot but arouse fear and respect from other representatives of the animal world, even lions remain humble and part at the first sounds of the approaching herd.
