The African Elephant

1
The African Elephant

• African elephants are gentle giants.
• They are the largest land mammal.
• They live in groups called herds.
• They have been hunted to near extinction.

2
Physical Description

• The African elephant can weigh as much as 13,000
  pounds.
• It has wrinkly gray skin and large ears that are
  used to fan their bodies and regulate body
  temperature.
• Both male and female elephants have a long nose
  called a trunk and two long teeth called tusks.

3
Habitat

• African elephants live on the open grasslands of
  Kenya.
• The weather is usually hot and dry.
• Today most elephants live in national parks or
  reserves.

4
Food and Diet

• All elephants are herbivores.
• They can eat from 330-500 pounds of food a day.
• An adult elephant drinks about 50 gallons of
  water each day.
• The eldest female in the herd remembers the paths
  to water sources and leads the herd.

5
Babies

• Mother elephants usually have one baby at a time.
• Babies can weigh up to 200 pounds at birth.
• A baby is called a calf.
• Babies are carefully guarded by all members of
  the herd.

6
Predators

• Elephants' greatest predator is man.
• They have been hunted and killed for their
  ivory tusks.
• Farmers shoot them if they damage crops and
  fields.
• They are a gentle creature and deserve to be
  protected for generations to come.

7
Interesting Facts

• African elephants have ears that are shaped like
  the continent of Africa.
• The herd will take care of an injured or sick
  member.
• They have their own language of rumbling sounds,
  grunts and trumpet sounds.