African Elephant: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Giants of Africa · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. An average adult elephant eats about 150 kg of plants and drinks about 230 L of water a day.
2. Elephant tusks are incisors, and they keep growing throughout their whole lives.
3. Elephants talk in rumbles, mostly too low for humans to hear. They are used for long-distance calls.
4. To greet a higher-ranking elephant, a lower-ranking one puts the tip of its trunk into the other's mouth.
5. One bull stood 3.96 m at the shoulder and weighed an estimated 10.4 tonnes. The average male is 5.2-6.9 t.

The quiz

1. How much water does an average adult elephant drink each day?

• 23 L
• 230 L (correct)
• 2,300 L
• Just 2 L

Roughly 230 L each day.

2. What happens to elephant tusks over a lifetime?

• They keep growing (correct)
• They fall out and regrow
• They stop at age ten
• They turn white

Tusks continue growing throughout their lives.

3. What are elephant rumbles mostly used for?

• Long-distance communication (correct)
• Scaring birds
• Digging
• Finding water only

Rumbles are mainly for long-distance communication.

4. Where does a lower-ranking elephant put its trunk tip to greet a superior?

• In its mouth (correct)
• On its back
• On its ear
• On its foot

To greet a higher-ranking elephant, it slips the tip of its trunk into the other's mouth.

5. About how much did the record bull weigh?

• 1.04 t
• 10.4 t (correct)
• 104 t
• 0.5 t

It weighed an estimated 10.4 t.

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