Elephant

Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of animals, the only family in the order Proboscidea that still exists today. Elephantidae has three living species: the Savannah Elephant and Forest Elephant (which were collectively known as the African Elephant) and the Asian Elephant (formerly known as the Indian Elephant). During the last ice age there were more species, which are now extinct.

Related Topics:
Family - Animal - Order - Proboscidea - Species - Savannah Elephant - Forest Elephant - Asian Elephant - Ice age - Extinct

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Elephants are the largest living land mammals. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 100 kg (225 lb). It takes 20 to 22 months for a baby elephant to mature to birth, the longest gestation period of any land animal. An elephant may live as long as 70 years. The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1974. It was male and weighed 12,000 kilograms (26,400 lb). The smallest elephants, about the size of a calf or a large pig, were a pre-historic variant that lived on the island of Crete until 5000 BC, possibly 3000 BC. Their scattered skulls, featuring a single large trunk-hole at the front, formed the basis of belief in existence of one-eyed giants, which are featured in Homer's Odyssey.

Related Topics:
Mammal - Gestation - Angola - 12,000 kilograms - Crete - Giant - Homer - Odyssey

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Prehistoric human beings have been known to eat elephants, as recent findings of animal remains in central China show. The elephant is now a protected animal, and consumption is prohibited around the world.

Related Topics:
Prehistoric - Animal - China

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