India
is the land of the wild and Indian elephants are the pride of the rich
diaspora that exists in the sub-continent.
About Elephant Maximums
The word "elephant" comes from the Greek word elephas, meaning
ivory, in reference to the animal's prominent tusks, which are actually
elongated incisor teeth. Excepting tusks, elephants have only four molar
teeth. These teeth are replaced as they are worn away, up to six times
throughout an elephant's life.
The Indian elephant is the largest animal in Asia. It is the only one of
the two living species of elephants which can be tamed and become domestic.
Elephant's Trunk
The elephant's trunk is another unique and important feature. It is used
not only for drinking and bathing but for smelling, breathing, feeling, and
grasping food. At the end of the trunk is a sensitive "finger" for
grasping things as small as a berry or as large as a branch. African
elephants have two fingers while the Asian has only one. They also use their
trunk as a snorkel when crossing deep rivers. Baby elephants are not born
knowing how to use their trunk -- they must learn.
The Major Habitats
Elephants live in the hot climates of Africa and Asia. To help protect
themselves from the heat, elephants have large ears, with prominent veins,
that they can flap to cool their blood. They must stay near water, not only
for drinking, but also for bathing and cooling. In addition to mud baths,
elephants also take dust baths to try to keep cool and deter insect attacks.
Nature of Diet
Elephants are herbivores, or plant-eaters. They feed on grasses, fruits,
leaves, branches, bark, and twigs. Because of their large size and because
as much as 60 percent of what they eat passes through without being
digested, elephants spend about 16 hours a day foraging for nearly 350
pounds of food. In addition, they drink about 18 gallons of water each day.
Elephants are known for
Elephants are known for its majestic built and is also considered to be the
strongest of all the other animals.
The Asian Elephant (also known as the Indian Elephant) is a huge land
animal that lives in India, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Sri Lanka. This elephant
is used extensively for labor; very few are left in the wild. Their life
span is up to 70 years.
This mammal has very strong social bonds and lives in family groups headed
by a female (called a cow). Males (called bulls) occasionally join the
group. Elephants are excellent swimmers. Elephants have few natural enemies
except man, and they are in extreme danger of extinction due to loss of
habitat and poaching (they are killed for their ivory tusks).
The Indian Mythology and Elephant
The Indian Elephant goes back to the mythologies. As the Gods ( ‘Deva’)
and the demons ( ‘Asura’) churned the oceans during ‘sagar
manthan’ ( sagar = sea ; manthan = churning ) for the elixir of life - ‘amrit’
( nectar ) that would make them immortal , there surfaced the ‘navratnas’
( nine jewels ). One of these jewels was the elephant. The elephant is,
therefore, considered absolutely precious to be preserved and protected like
the way jewels are. (e/1)
There are other mythological stories. For example, in one of her dreams,
Buddha’s mother dreamt of a white elephant.
And then comes the greatest of all ‘vahanas’ (carriages for Gods)
- the ‘Airavat’ ( elephant ).
Elephants in India
»
Bandhavgarh
National Park ( Madhya Pradesh )
» Dudhwa Tiger Reserve ( Indo-Nepal Border )
» Jim
Corbett National Park ( Ramnagar, Uttaranchal )
» Periyar
National Park ( Kerala )
» Nagarhole ( Karnataka )
