How do elephants feed their babies

The Miracle of a Newborn Elephant in the Kruger National Park

It’s always a wonderful celebration when an elephant is born at Tintswalo Safari Lodge.

Not just because elephants are often the victims of poaching, and we need to treasure each animal; it’s just wonderful to watch a baby elephant begin its life in the bush, and observe how the herd receives the new addition to the family.

This month, while on a safari game drive, we were privileged to stumble upon a newborn elephant in the Manyeleti, and we watched in amazement at the way the baby was treated by the rest of the herd. We witnessed the entire mood of the herd change, as the rest of the elephants took the young calf on as their own.

Of course, the calf was quite obviously the apple of his mother’s eye. She simply could not stop touching him with her trunk as he craned his head upward and suckled her gently.

The Coming of Age of a Baby Elephant

Baby elephants will stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months of their lives.

The calves drink their mother’s milk for about two years, sometimes longer, and they can drink up to three gallons of milk each day! At about four months old, they also begin eating plants, but they continue to need as much milk from their mother. Some elephants keep drinking milk for up to ten years!

A very young baby always travels under the mother’s belly, between her legs, to ensure its safety, and in order for the mother to assist overcoming obstacles, and to keep him cool. During normal activities, baby elephants are seldom more than one or two meters from an adult (the mother is always nearby) and they are constantly being touched as reassurance.

From a relatively early age, the other female elephants in the herd practise mothering or ‘nannying’, during which time they guide calves, assisting them over obstacles, teaching them what to eat (some calves even remove food from other elephants’ mouths to learn what to eat) and protecting them just like the mother does.

Trunks of fun

At first, baby elephants don’t really know what to do with their trunks. It’s amusing to watch as the calves swing them to and fro and sometimes even step on them. They will stick their trunk in their mouth just as a human baby might suck its thumb. With more than 50,000 individual muscle units in the trunk, it’s a complex skill to learn.

By about 6 to 8 months, calves begin learning to use their trunks to eat and drink. By the time they are a year old, they can control their trunks pretty well and, like adult elephants, use their trunks for grasping, eating, drinking, bathing.

Elephants usually figure out the trunk-drinking method by the time they’re one year old. As in all young mammals, elephants are born with a strong sucking reflex, which prompts them to drink from their mothers’ breast. And when a youngster is not feeding, it may suck its trunk for comfort.

They practise using their trunks by exploring their environment – touching fellow herd members, their surroundings and themselves. They must then master the use of their trunks for feeding.

Sometimes an elephant that appears to be sucking its trunk is actually using it to smell, placing the tip inside its mouth after touching or sniffing dung or urine to assess pheromones produced by other elephants.

Elephants learn to do all these important things in their first years in the herd, as they observe their mother, their nannies, and their fellow young siblings. Female elephants stay with the herd for life, while males leave to begin a solitary life at about 12 to 14 years of age.

The early stage of an elephant’s life is incredibly important, and the mothering and mentorship ensures that they grow up to become the best possible elephant they can be, to both survive and thrive in the wilderness.

Milk Makes The Elephant Go Round

When baby elephants are born, they need to get up onto all four feet as quickly as possible so to have that first drink of Mom’s milk, and avoid tempting predators with the smell of new placenta.

The longer they take to stand upright and keep those shaky little waif limbs firm on their new planet, the scarier it gets for mother and child. Baby needs its milk and will stay beside Mom for years, drinking milk from her teat for somewhere between four to five years old. Sometimes even longer, sometimes a little less.

The mother elephant will do everything she can to help her calf suckle from her, moving her front leg forward to make her teat easily accessible to the baby who wraps its little mouth around the teat and draws out the essential liquid.

This is mimicked with orphan calves as they suckle from the milk bottles given to them around the clock, each day, by their dedicated carers. Just as the calf would touch its mother’s underside or body with its enquiring trunk, communicating through touch, and no doubt receiving comfort from the closeness and intimacy, so too will a calf, especially younger ones, touch their carer’s mouth or face while drinking from the bottle.

It’s very difficult to escape the persistent snaking trunk of a suckling calf. Sometimes a carer will blow into the calf’s trunk and you can feel the heat from the long probiscis emanating off it. These moments are incredibly tender and often Baby will close its eyes while drinking, completely in the moment of love, nourishment and support between it and its mother, whether human or elephant.

Herman and his zebra friend.

One bottle of milk costs $18 – you can donate a bottle to Khanyisa through our GlobalGiving Campaign!

In addition to receiving Mom’s milk, the new calf receives colostrum – that special ingredient produced in the breast fluid of an elephant mother before she releases breast milk. It contains high levels of antibodies, immune cells and growth hormones and is extremely nutritious and essential in allowing a newborn to get off to a good start.

It’s likely that Khanyisa received her dose of colostrum before being caught in the snare and separated from her mother at four months old. Not all elephant orphans, if abandoned early in their lives, are that lucky.

To keep the orphans healing well, growing strong and roaming energetically, we need to provide them with the energy to do so.

When they first arrive at HERD, milk is an essential form of sustenance, giving the calf what their mother is not around to provide. But the act of feeding the baby is also an intense bonding experience for the very sensitive and often traumatised young animals.

What is it like to feed a baby elephant a milk bottle, besides ticklish? For one, incredibly rewarding, but also challenging, serious, humorous and endearing and expensive. Just like breastfeeding or giving a human baby formula, the process isn’t just a nice-to-do, it’s vital for the survival of your newborn.

Khensani getting ready to feed Khanyisa her milk bottle, with Tokwe keeping a close eye.

If Baby is feeling a little under the weather or temperamental, and doesn’t take the bottle, it isn’t as simple a situation as a human adult missing lunch… Babies of all species need extra energy and nutrition to develop those longer legs and bigger brains that will see them through life in their respective wildernesses.

A baby elephant’s milk formulation is exceptionally delicate and needs frequent adjustment, with extra nutritional supplements as they grow, as their mother’s milk would change naturally through the weaning stages and evolving needs. This is a difficult case of trial and error as an error can lead to serious consequences, and since each elephant is different, especially orphans and trauma victims, there is no “one size fits all” model.

What works for one elephant at a certain age doesn’t necessarily work for another.

The gut of a baby elephant is also extremely sensitive. When an orphan has diarrhea, it has a ripple effect. It starts by impacting their gut lining, which in turn changes their energy levels and affects their emotional wellbeing. They can move from hero to zero in a short period. Daily records of their feeding and bathroom habits are essential to monitor whether they are excreting or urinating more than what they take in. Like human babies, they are very fragile and can quickly dehydrate.

We consult with our experts and friends in rehabilitation often regarding the orphans’ milk formula and their ever-changing needs. Sometimes the damage to the calf, in the case of Fenya, cannot be rectified by milk, no matter how many extra nutrients are added to the mixture.

Each day, several times a day, our carers take to the orphanage kitchen to mix up Khanyisa’s milk bottles, adding the oil and protein she needs to the blend. As the seasons change, and the bush becomes drier now as we enter winter in the reserve, we have increased her milk amounts to supplement the decrease in vegetation she is able to graze on.

Carer Herman, one of Khanyisa’s favourite carers

The females of the Jabulani herd are not lactating – they are on contraception, since it is not part of our objectives to reed with the rescued herd until they are able to be released into a large and safe enough reserve without a tourism or human presence. They are so used to people and pose a risk to human-elephant conflict and greater chances of poaching due to familiarity. Finding and affording such land in South Africa, where overpopulation, poaching and habitat loss and destruction is prevalent, is incredibly difficult.

Even though the Jabulani females are not producing milk, many of them welcome and encourage Khanyisa to suckle from them – sucking on their teats is such a natural impulse for the calf and for her adoptive mothers and allomothers. Lundi, Bubi and Tokwe were all greatly efficient at this, but sweet Limpopo struggled and still has some things to learn about motherhood.

Khanyisa stopped suckling from the females for several months, but has started to do so again recently now that the bush has started to dry and change again… As a result we increased her milk intake – slowly, so not to bring on diarrhea.

Khanyisa suckling Bubi

As she approaches two years of age (in September 2021), Khanyisa no longer receives what we politely christened as “Shit Shakes”, dung mixed with milk, oil and water, as she is developing her own digestive bacteria. But for the first year of her life, she received this essential addition frequently while she started to eat more solids.

The purpose of dung in the diet of young elephants (known as “coprophagia”) is to provide essential bacteria that assists the calf in digesting the vegetation that they eat – bacteria that they are not able to produce when they are so young. The bacteria helps to break down plant matter in their intestines and helps to boost not only digestion but also the immune system.

In this case, the Jabulani herd was able to help! The feces of the older members of the herd were delivered to a growing Khanyisa – fresh, raw and ready, either in a shake or as a ball to nibble on.

Life After Milk

At HERD, we wean orphan calves after four to five years and recently did so with an orphan elephant, Timisa who had been receiving milk in a bucket with pellets until recently. This was supplemented by bana grass, branches, lucerne, marulas when in season and vegetables, which the older elephants in the rescued herd receive too.

Timisa the Courageous

When Timisa arrived in 2016 after being rescued, she was fortunately already feeding herself on solids, was a keen eater and drank sufficient water. After her rehabilitation, we introduced her to the Jabulani herd and she instantly tried feeding from both Tokwe and Lundi a few times (although both of the female’s babies were older, we thought they may well still have a bit of milk left in them). We closely monitored Timisa, as elephant calves are prone to glycaemia, but she continued to thrive with her new herd.

Kind Kumbura

Getting Kumbura to eat after her rescue and during her rehabilitation was not easy. She didn’t like the milk formula, and none of the females in the Jabulani herd were willing to feed her. We truly were not sure whether she would survive. Every day was of the utmost importance in getting her to drink, getting her to feel calm and safe, getting her strong and healthy again.

Winning over her trust was vital to her recovery. Her human carers remained patient, hopeful, and continued to give her all the care and love that she needed. We fed her any nutritious foods that she would eat – which included her favourites, apples and vegetables.

Kumbura, the smallest of the group, with Mombo, Tokwe and Limpopo, in 2012

We believe a key reason that Kumbura pulled through was due to the comfort she received from the elephants in the herd – especially Lundi and Tokwe, who adopted her as their own, and her gentle guardian, Sebakwe.

Milk remains a constant and vital part of life for Khanyisa now.

Heading out into the bush to give her milk bottles several times a day is a continual part of parenthood for our carers. Khanyisa certainly has her favourites when it comes to receiving milk bottles and won’t just take from anyone – she needs to know, trust and love her provider. Milk really is something so essential in our daily lives and the journey of orphan calves. It is a job, a connection, and life.

Herman, Khanyisa and Lammie during a morning bottle feed in 2020

The funds raised through our valued fosters and donors go towards the provision of the orphans’ essential milk bottles.

We are so grateful for the support from people around the world who enable us to provide orphans like Khanyisa with the nutrition and care they need to keep growing into strong, healthy elephants, with an adoptive herd of their own.

One bottle of milk costs $18 – you can donate a bottle to Khanyisa through our GlobalGiving Campaign!

Life of elephants

Elephants live in family groups, constantly in contact with other families, and during the migration period they can unite in large herds of up to 1000 animals. Elephant communities are matriarchal. The family group is headed by an experienced adult female. The only time when the stronger sex can at least somehow establish itself in the eyes of the weak is the breeding season. Pregnancy in an elephant lasts from 18 to 22 months if a "boy" is born. During contractions, a woman in labor is often surrounded by sympathetic relatives who protect her and even help free the newborn from the films. Adults try to put the baby on its feet with their trunks. The baby elephant rises after 15-30 minutes and begins to look for the udder. Such a peanut weighs about 100 kilograms, and its growth reaches almost a meter! The mother feeds the cub for 2-3 years. The first meals are not easy for the baby.

To feed her offspring, and elephants do it standing up, the female elephant stops over a small hillock, stone or small termite mound. The baby elephant uses them as a ladder, climbs up and sucks milk. Young and inexperienced mothers do not do this, and hungry babies whimper plaintively. The cry of a baby does not go unnoticed. Adult females immediately intervene, help the mother calm the baby, or select him and adopt him. In any family group there is sure to be a "dairy" elephant, and the newborn does not face starvation. After the birth of the baby elephant, the herd interrupts its journey for 1-2 days, until the baby is strong enough to follow the mother. If the herd at this time has to escape from danger, the mother carries it with her trunk. For almost one year, the elephant's trunk is practically not needed, sometimes it just bothers him, and sometimes it amuses him - when he shakes his head, the proboscis just dangles. But elephants cannot lift anything from the ground with their trunk, nor can they pump water into it.

Up to a year they drink directly with their mouths, kneeling at the water's edge and sucking milk with their mouths. Mothers continue to take care of their children for 10-15 years. Older daughters take care of their younger sisters and brothers. Later, when they have their own children, young females do not leave the family group, continuing to obey their mothers and enjoy their protection, and they themselves take care of their nephews touchingly. The elephant has a peculiar speech. If he is calm, then quietly, muffled grumbles. If alarmed, it makes deep chest sounds, and when frightened, it trumpets sharply, abruptly. His voice is sometimes sad, dreary, and sometimes - cheerful, joyful.

The palette of feelings of a thick-skinned giant amazes with richness and diversity: these giants can cry and smile, hate and love, be jealous and joke, they even have a sense of humor. And most importantly, they know how to share the last piece with a friend they love! Not surprisingly, the largest land animals have the strongest families. The Czech naturalist Josef Wagner, who has studied African animals all his life, describes an amazing case. One day, while traveling in Africa, he saw a young elephant near the Waso River, who was feeding his mother with twigs. She didn't have a trunk...

When love comes to the African and Asian savannahs and jungles, young male grooms challenge each other to fighting mating tournaments. Applicants for the “hand and heart” of a beautiful elephant stand opposite each other at a distance of 5-10 meters, raise their heads, stretch out their ears, quickly begin to converge. Just before the collision, the trunks of the rivals are intertwined. If neither of the opponents manages to push the other back, they disperse. Serious damage in such fights is rare.

Adult males are not allowed in family groups. The “boy”, who has reached the age of 14-15, is being persecuted by the “ladies”. Gradually, when all the adult members of the herd take up arms against him, the teenager is forced to leave the family. Sometimes he follows his mother's herd for several years, but keeps a respectful distance from him in order to avoid the attack of relatives. Having matured, he wanders alone. In adulthood, his position changes. The young giant reaches such a size and strength that the beautiful half no longer dares to attack him.

Elephants live long lives. Many females, still full of strength and health, become grandmothers, and if you are lucky, then great-grandmothers. They continue to rule in their extended families and take care of their members, providing patronage to the youngest offspring of the elephant clan, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Most professional zoologists and amateur naturalists who have studied these amazing animals agree on one thing. The widespread opinion that love is a feeling inherent only in man is nothing more than a presumptuous delusion! Too much in the behavior of a thick-skinned hulk does not fit into the rigid framework of instinct. A tender and loving heart beats under thick skin!

Elephant pregnancy

Animals
Mammals

Content

Brief characteristics of elephants
Elephants
Features of reproduction
Features of conception
How long are the pregnancy of the elephant
PEOPLE COMPOSITION
COMPOSITION
Interesting facts about the pregnancy of different animals

The largest mammals that live on land cannot but arouse the interest of people. There are still mysteries in the behavior of these animals, whose brain weighs up to 6 kilograms, and the average lifespan is equal to the human one - 70 years. Matriarchy reigns in the elephant kingdom, males rarely stay close to females, the pregnancy of expectant mothers lasts an unusually long time, and baby elephants are brought up “by the whole world”.

Brief description of elephants

From ancient times these animals were tamed in order to use their strength and power, they became participants in great battles and long journeys. The interest of scientists in these giants was caused by the ability to recognize oneself in a mirror image, to hear and remember not only places and events, but also music, and to make collective decisions. Unlike most animals, elephants do not only recognize relatives, even after a long separation.

They also show special feelings towards the dead. Near the remains, they always stop and spend some time, often touching the bones of the skeleton with the tip of the trunk, as if identifying the body. There are many interesting and even mysterious facts in the world of elephants.

Elephants

With a length of 5 to 8 meters, the growth of this animal can reach 3 meters or more, and weight - 5 - 7 tons. African elephants are larger than their Asian counterparts. The massive body is crowned by a no less huge head with a long trunk - an organ formed by a fused nose and upper lip.

This organ has a most powerful system of muscles and tendons, thanks to which animals crush centuries-old trees, easily transfer logs from place to place, but they are also able to cope with almost jewelry work: picking up coins, berries, even drawing.

The trunk helps to defend against attacks, get food, elephants communicate with each other with its help. Tearing leaves from trees or uprooting young shoots, with the help of a trunk, an elephant puts food in its mouth, drawing water into it, not only waters itself, but also pours it into its mouth to get drunk. The very large ears are pierced with blood vessels, which helps to cool the body temperature during suffocating heat.

Elephants' not very good eyesight is compensated by their excellent hearing: 100 km away, animals hear thunder, "feeling" the approach of showers. And elephants need constant movements with their ears not only to “cool down” the body, but also for communication - elephants greet their relatives with their ears, and they can also warn against attacks by enemies. Elephants are able to emit and hear infrasounds, communicating with each other over great distances.

A pair of elephants

These animals are called thick-skinned for a reason: their skin is up to 3 cm thick. Hard, very wrinkled skin is covered with sparse hairs, a small tuft is often present at the tip of the tail. The legs on the feet, resembling huge columns, have a special fat pad behind the downward-pointing toes, which allows you to evenly distribute the weight when walking and running. Most often, a herd of elephants slowly moves in search of food and water at a speed of no more than 6-8 km per hour, but they are also able to run quite quickly, swim well. Elephants cannot only jump - this is due to the special structure of their legs.

Description and way of life of elephants

Elephant's skin is gray and brown in color, about 2-4 cm thick. Wide ears are set on a large head, fanning with which, the animal provides a cooling effect of a fan. The elephant's trunk can easily break a large tree, and just as deftly manipulates small objects. With the help of this unique organ, elephants eat, drink, and even communicate. The tusks are located at the base of the trunk and grow throughout life.

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on the legs are located two praised pelvishes. Small cubs are born with sparse bristles, but the skin of an adult giant has no cover, only a small brush at the end of a long tail. There are always 4-6 molars, as they wear out, new ones grow next to them. The average life expectancy is 70-80 years.

Elephant in the mud

Elephants prefer to live in small groups, which include only females with their offspring. All elephants in the group are related by blood. One, the eldest female, leads the herd, exploring new territories in search of food. An adult elephant consumes about 200 kg of plant food and about 200 liters of water per day. This is only possible with a nomadic lifestyle. If the group becomes too large, a new herd is formed, and communication with relatives is maintained. Males leave the herd as soon as they gain independence from their mother. They live apart, in solitude, and approach the group only if at least one of the females is in a state favorable for conception.

Features of reproduction

Females reach puberty at the age of 7, but this does not mean at all that she will become a mother in the very near future. Sometimes the same number of years must pass before the elephant is ready to bear offspring: only those who have gained a certain weight, strong and healthy animals become parents.

Herds of males and females travel separately, among elephants one can often meet lovers of loneliness. But elephants prefer to spend their whole lives among their “friends”. Only if a female elephant ready to become a mother appears in the community, a male will be allowed to approach her. In fierce fights for the right to be with a female, males are able to cripple and kill an opponent. At this time, aggressiveness makes elephants very dangerous.

Little elephant

The paradoxes of the elephant body do not end there. Not only the moment of readiness for conception, but also the duration of pregnancy, these animals are able to control. Under unfavorable circumstances, lack of food, a sharp drop in temperature, lack of conditions for normal growth and development, frequent stresses, the first pregnancy in an elephant can occur at 15 or even 20 years. In captivity, these animals practically do not breed.

Features of conception

Surprisingly, elephants have a very flexible reproductive system. If they are surrounded by an unfavorable environment: drought, lack of food, too much crowding or competition, then puberty is postponed for an indefinite period, both in males and females. For example, the minimum sexually mature age is 7 years, but in an unfavorable period it reaches 18-20 years.

The hormonal mechanism in elephants is completely different from other animals. Ovulation is triggered by the hormone LH-lutropin, and pregnancy is maintained by other hormones that are secreted by the ovarian bodies. The estrus period lasts 48 hours. At this time, the female calls the male with cries. If the call is answered by several who want to become fathers, then fierce fights take place. With the winner, the elephant retires for some time from the herd until pregnancy occurs.

Baby elephant

How long does an elephant's pregnancy last? A large African elephant spends almost 2 years in the mother's womb, although it is fully formed and ready for birth as early as 19 months. And Indian (Asian) elephants bear babies 2 months less. But each case of pregnancy and birth is unique.

Not only the size of the future mother and her baby is important for the duration of pregnancy, but also the age, diet, weather conditions, and the place where the herd is located.

The next time the female can become pregnant only after the full recovery of the body, it takes at least 4-5 years, sometimes more. An elephant gives birth to no more than 8-9 baby elephants in her life.

Motherhood

Feeling the approach of childbirth, the expectant mother leaves her herd, accompanied by an older female elephant, in order to calmly relieve her burden. But childbirth can also take place inside the circle, in which animals stand up, ready to protect the mother and her cub in case of danger.

Elephant with a lion

Baby elephant (very rarely twins are born) is born fully formed, weighs up to 100 kg, its height is not less than 1 meter. Within an hour, the baby elephant can stand on its feet and follow the herd. The baby feeds on mother's milk, attaching itself to the nipples of the elephant, which are located between the front legs. And tired on a long journey, the baby begins to touch or rub against his hind legs, demanding a stop.

Cub development

Until the age of four, a baby elephant needs mother's milk. There is frequent tactile contact: the elephant pats him with his trunk, pushes him with his foot, helps him overcome the difficulties of the path, bathes him, dousing him with a fountain of water. From the age of six months, the baby can already eat plant foods, but does not stop sucking milk. If there are several dairy elephants in the herd, then any of them will feed the cub. Young female elephants, who have not yet reached puberty, help take care of the babies, thus preparing for future motherhood. The further fate of the baby elephant depends on its gender:

The female remains in the herd for the rest of her life, following the older female elephant. Gives birth to cubs, takes care of offspring.
The male leaves the herd at the age of about 10 years. Sometimes young elephants roam in groups, but are left alone once they reach sexual maturity.

Elephant eats

Raising offspring

Not only his mother can feed a baby elephant, but also any other mother who has milk. Despite the rather rigid hierarchy in the elephant community, the babies are treated very reverently, taking care of everyone as if they were their own. The herd is led by the most mature, most experienced female, who leads everyone to the feeding place or to the watering place, decides when to stop for rest or for the night.

Males do not take any part in the upbringing of offspring, all cares are taken by females. As a rule, a baby elephant stays close to its mother, often travels, holding her tail with its trunk. But if there is a need, then other females will take care of him - they will feed him, comfort him, help him overcome obstacles along the way, and maybe even hit him lightly as a punishment.

Sensing danger, elephants are able to run quite fast. But the herd will never abandon their young brothers and expectant mothers. They are surrounded by a tight circle through which not a single predator can pass that can harm the babies. There are very few enemies in adult elephants, the most important of them is a man.

The extraction of ivory brought these animals almost to complete destruction - tusks were valued very dearly, even now, when elephants are listed in the Red Book, this does not stop poachers.

Little elephant

Elephant calves are brought up in mother herd up to 7-10 years. Up to 6 months they eat only milk, then they begin to try solid food. But feeding with milk continues up to 2 years. Then the younger generation completely switches to plant foods. The smallest baby elephants, who, like all children, love to play, get dirty, sometimes “cry” from pain or resentment, are looked after by elephants - teenagers 3-11 years old.

If a baby gets into trouble, falling into a hole or entangled in vines, everyone who is nearby will surely respond to his call. Having wrapped trunks around the baby elephant, he is rescued from the trap. Toddler care continues for several years until they learn to cope with problems on their own.

However, after 10-12 years, the males are simply expelled from the herd, not allowed to follow the females. Most often, they continue their journey alone. Young females remain in the family until old age.

Baby elephant with mother

What do baby elephants eat?

Mother's milk. He can drink it up to 4-5 years.
Solid food. A baby elephant already six months after its birth can eat solid food.
Mother elephant faeces. Baby elephants can eat their mother's feces. They contain many useful and nutritious substances, as well as bacteria that can help in the absorption of cellulose.

Elephant mothers continue to care for their cubs for several years. As a rule, female elephants give birth once every 2-10 years. And all this time the baby elephant is next to his mother. And only then leaves the herd.

An interesting study that was done in the Addo National Park revealed that the majority of female elephants who are under 50 years of age are either already pregnant or already nursing their calves.

In the past, veterinarians and scientists were interested in the question of how long the pregnancy of these amazing mammals lasts. Today, scientists are wondering why elephants have such a long gestation period. With the help of modern technologies, it was possible to learn about the stages of pregnancy of elephants. And thanks to this, it is now possible to improve the birth rate of animals that are not in the wild.

Group of elephants

These amazing animals have another amazing feature. Elephants have their own ovulation cycle - none of the other animals have this. The huge gestation period in elephants is due to the fact that their hormonal mechanism is completely different from other animals around the world. What scientists study is of tremendous importance in the natural world. These studies will help to preserve the genus of rare species of these animals both in captivity and in the wild. Scientists will always have many questions, and nature has many mysteries.

You can study the life of these wonderful creatures for a long time. Scientists still have a lot of research to do. Learning and studying the mysteries of nature, one can be surprised more than once that there is a beautiful world around us and it surrounds us. Scientists will always have many questions, and nature has many mysteries.

Elephants

Interesting facts about the pregnancy of different animals

Alpine, or black salamander (lat. Salamandra atra), living in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula and in the Alps. Her body length is 9-16 cm, and pregnancy lasts about 10 months (306 days). This is a viviparous animal. There are 30 eggs in the oviduct of the salamander, but it develops from only 2 larvae, while the rest of the eggs turn into a yolk mass, which these larvae feed on. After all the transformations that will take place in the body of the salamander mother, two fully formed and adult individuals will be born. Alpine salamanders live for about 10 years.
In roe deer (lat. Capreolus), pregnancy ranges from 264 to 318 days, which is a little more than 10 months. Offspring are born in April-June. Before the start of childbirth (calving), the female goes to her birth area, where she masters it and drives away other roe deer. Scientists have found that most of the cubs are born in the daytime in the meadows - approximately 74%, in the forest - 23% and in the fields - 3%. A baby roe deer is a roe deer.
Roe deer
Asian (lat. Bubalus bubalis) and African buffalo (lat. Syncerus caffer) pregnancy lasts about 300-345 days (10-11 months), after which one cub is born (twins are rare). It should be noted that only 20% of born calves survive to adulthood (they die from various diseases, heat and from predators). A buffalo cub is a buffalo (the common name for cattle is a calf).
Pregnancy in a horse (lat. Equus) is quite long - from 335 to 340 days (sometimes longer than 11 months). As a rule, one cub is born. If a male (stallion) is to be born, then the pregnancy lasts 2-7 days longer. A baby horse is a foal.
Domestic donkeys (lat. Equus asinus) are smaller than horses, however, their pregnancy lasts longer - on average from 360 to 390 days (more than a year). The cub feeds on mother's milk up to 6-9 months, it starts eating grass (little by little) 2 weeks after birth. Fully grown by two years. A baby donkey is a colt. The diminutive name for a donkey (regardless of age) is a donkey.
Domestic donkeys
Due to a long pregnancy that lasts 360-440 days (13 months), female Bactrian camels (lat. Camelus bactrianus) give birth only once every two years. Pregnancy can last up to 411 days. The female gives birth while standing, and the newborn cub can follow her already 2 hours after birth. A baby camel is a baby camel.
The badger (lat. Meles meles), although small (50-90 cm in length), however, the pregnancy of the female badger can last quite a long time. If the mating took place in the summer, then the offspring will appear in 271-300 days, but if the mating period fell on the winter, then the cubs will be born only after 400-450 days. A baby badger is a badger.
Giraffe (lat. Giraffa camelopardalis) is one of the largest land representatives of the animal world. Pregnancy in females lasts 14 to 15 months (428 to 459days). The female gives birth while standing and the cub has to fall to the ground from almost 2 meters high, therefore, during childbirth, the cub “comes out” with its feet forward, in addition, the height of the newborn itself is about 2 meters.
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