African elephants live in grassy regions south of the Sahara Desert.
Dark gray in color, bull (male) elephants stand about 11ft. (3.4 m) tall and
weigh about 5.4 metric tons, while cow (female) elephants stand 9 ft. (2.8 m)
tall and weigh about 3.6 metric tons. They have no sweat glands, so they like
to cool off by rolling in ponds and streams. The mud that dries on their skin
protects it from the rays of the sun.
Throughout history, people have prized elephants for their great size
and strength. On the battlefield, soldiers astride elephants have trampled and
terrified enemies. Elephants also have been trained to carry heavy materials in
the forests like log of woods that have just been cut down.
 |
| African Elephant |
Elephants have long been revered and honoured, and in Thailand, India,
and other Southeast Asian countries, beautifully decorated elephants still play
a significant role in traditional religious ceremonies. According to Buddhist
tradition, the Buddha chose the form of a white elephant as one of his many
earthly incarnations, and the rare appearance of a white elephant is still
heralded as a manifestation of the gods.
Over the past 40 million years, more than 600 species of elephants have
roamed the earth. Today only three species remain—the savanna elephant and the
forest elephant of Africa, and the Asian elephant. Climate fluctuations over
the millennia and resulting vegetation changes caused the extinction of many
elephant species, but human impact has also taken its toll. At the turn of the
20th century, elephants numbered from 5 million to 10 million, but widespread
hunting and habitat destruction reduced their numbers to 400,000 to 500,000 by
the end of the century. Present-day efforts to save elephants may be
inadequate, and biologists are unsure if elephants as a species will not go
extinct.
0 Comments