5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Elephants

Who doesn't love that huge animal with a long trunk and innocent smile? On World Elephant Day, we share with you a range of facts you didn’t know about elephants in an effort to spread awareness among people to stop poaching and the trade in ivory and other wildlife products.

Elephant Numbers Decreased Dramatically over the Past Two Centuries

The ivory trade dramatically reduced elephant numbers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the Asian elephant population declining by at least 50% over the past three generations, leading to their classification as endangered. The African elephant is also considered endangered.

Elephants Play a Vital Role in Shaping Ecosystems

Elephants are one of the main species that support the ecosystem, how? Well, elephants trample thick forests and grasslands, which supports the growth of smaller species. Also, elephants walk great distances, spreading seeds in their dung which supports the growth of vegetation.

Elephants Have Supernatural Abilities

Elephants can hear sounds from 5 miles (8 km) and can protect themselves from the sun's harmful rays using sand. Although elephants are the largest land animals, they are afraid of some flying insects, the most important of which are bees.

The Gestation Period of Female Elephants Is Two Years

The gestation period of female elephants ranges from 18 to 22 months and is considered the longest among mammals, due to the large size of the elephant, which means the need for a long pregnancy period sufficient for the stages of its development and growth within the womb, and thus mothers of elephants give birth to baby elephants weighing approximately 110 kg.

Elephants Are Emotional

Elephants feel each other, as they slow down their movement during their march, taking into account the injured or old elephants, in addition, the entire herd mourns the death of one of its members.

We end our article by inviting you to fight the greedy acts against elephants. Be a part of this campaign and publish any information that may contribute to raising people's awareness of the importance of stopping unjust acts against elephants.

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This article was previously published on UAE Moments. To see the original article, click here