Elephant (scientific name: elephant) is an elephant mammal with a long nose, which is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and even the tropical and subtropical areas along the southern border of China. It is the largest terrestrial social mammal in the world, and usually moves in families. Elephant's cortex is very thick, but the skin between the folds is very thin, so mud bath is often used to prevent mosquito bites. Ivory is an important weapon to defend the enemy. At present, there are only 2 genera and 3 species of elephants on the earth: Asian elephant, African grassland elephant and African forest elephant, which are also seriously threatened.

Elephants belong to the long-nosed order, with only one family, two genera and three species, namely, elephant family, African elephant genus and elephant genus. There are two kinds of African elephants: the common African elephant (also called savanna elephant or shrub elephant) and the African forest elephant. There is only one Asian elephant (also called Indian elephant) in the elephant genus.

African elephant

African elephants are distributed in eastern, central, western, southwestern and southeastern Africa, starting from the Sudan grassland in the north, south to the hinterland of South Africa, east from the coast of East Africa, and west to the equator of West Africa. They mainly inhabit tropical grasslands and savanna areas.

Distribution: Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, C? te d 'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia and South Africa.

African elephants live in tropical forests, jungles and grasslands. It is the largest living land mammal. Living in groups, led by a female elephant, daily life, no settlements. Feed on weeds, leaves, bark, branches, etc. The reproductive period is not fixed, and the pregnancy is about 22 months. Every birth 1 offspring, sexual maturity at the age of 13 ~ 14, with a life span of 70 years. Beijing Zoo 1954 begins to be exhibited.

African elephant is the largest living terrestrial mammal, with a body length of 6 ~ 7.5m, a tail length of 1 ~ 1.3m, a shoulder height of 4.5m and a weight of 7000kg. The highest record is male, full length 1 1 m (including nose and tail), forefoot circumference of 2m, weight13000kg. The largest ivory record is 350 cm long and weighs about 107 kg. The extinct grassland elephant in North Africa is much smaller, only 3.4 to 3.7 meters high and weighs about 8.9 tons. It is similar in size to the African forest elephant.

African elephants have very big ears, which can be as long as 1.5 meters. Five hooves on the front foot, three hooves on the back foot, 2 1 pair of ribs, and as many as 26 coccygeal vertebrae. African elephants have a prominent forehead, a more inclined back, the highest shoulders and two finger-like protrusions on their noses. Both males and females have long ivory, but the females are much smaller. The body length is 6 ~ 7.5m, the tail length is 1 ~ 1.3m, the shoulder height is 3 ~ 4m, and the weight is 5 ~ 7.5t African elephants are the largest terrestrial mammals, slightly larger than Asian elephants, and can be distinguished from Asian elephants by ears as big as cattail leaf fans. Asian elephants have rounder and smaller ears. Elephants' ears can dissipate heat and keep their bodies cool, but sometimes the temperature on the African continent is too high. Elephants are naturally fond of water. They like to absorb water through their noses and spray it all over their bodies. After that, they often spray a layer of protective soil on their skin. The elephant's long nose can be used not only for smelling, breathing, blowing horns and drinking water, but also for catching things, especially delicious food. The trunk alone has about 654.38 million+muscles. African elephants have two finger-like protrusions at the end of their long noses, which are very sensitive and dexterous and can be used to catch small things. There is only one Asian elephant. Both male and female African elephants have tusks to find food and water, and tear off the bark from their trunks.

Common African elephant

The common African elephant, also known as the prairie elephant, is a kind of African elephant and the largest mammal on land in the world, which is widely distributed in the African continent. They are herbivores and spend 16 hours collecting food every day. Their digestive system is inefficient and can only absorb 40% of food. An adult elephant can eat 225 kilograms of food a day. The life span of wild African elephants is 65 ~ 70 years old.

Male common African elephant, with an average shoulder height of 3.3 meters and a weight of 5.5 tons; Female African elephant, with an average shoulder height of 2.8 meters and a weight of 3.7 tons. Common African elephants are large in size, with gray fur, the back hip is the same height as the front shoulder, and the ivory is extremely long and curved upward. Elephants have big ears, rich cooling blood vessels, short tails and brushes at the top.

Adult male African elephants live alone and have a bad temper. When stimulated, it will enter a "violent state", at which time it will attack anything, which is extremely dangerous. Elephants are led by older females, and they choose migration routes with water sources according to their experience.

The female African elephant is pregnant for 22 months, which is the longest among mammals. Each baby gave birth to 1, and the newborn elephant's shoulder height was about 90 cm and its weight was about 100 kg. The attack of lions and crocodiles is the biggest threat to the survival of elephants. The life span of common African elephants in the wild is 65-70 years old, and that in captivity can reach over 80 years old.

Common African elephants are widely distributed in the African continent. Mainly including: Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Ethiopia, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Gabon, Congo, Angola, C? te d 'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo and Angola.

Asian Elephant

Asian elephants are distributed in southern Yunnan, China. Foreign countries are in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Asian elephants live in tropical forests, jungles or grasslands. Live in groups, led by a female elephant, have no fixed habitat and move during the day. Poor eyesight (mainly elephant eyelashes are long, which affects vision), sensitive sense of smell and hearing, and like to take a bath in hot weather. In the morning and evening, they feed on weeds, leaves, bamboo leaves and wild fruits. The reproductive period is not fixed, the gestation period is 20 ~ 22 months, and each fetus is sexually mature at the age of 1 and 9 ~ 12, with a life span of 70 ~ 80 years. Beijing Zoo 195 1 Annual Breeding Exhibition, 1964 Breeding was successful.

Asian elephant is one of the endangered species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and it is also a first-class wild protected animal in China. There are only over 300 elephants in China.

Asian elephants have high IQ, gentle and honest temperament, and are very easy to domesticate. Citizens of many countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia (especially Thailand and India) domesticated them for riding, working and performing. The training process of performance, cycling and labor is often very cruel. Animal trainers use sharp elephant hooks and continuous beatings to destroy their will and force them to yield. This process will cause irreversible damage to their physiology and psychology, so Asian elephants used for performance, riding and labor often have serious behavioral abnormalities.