Elephants
Mammaculture
Pensacola Jr College
Classification
w Order Proboscidea
w Family Elephantidae
Family
Elephantidae
Elephantidae
w Range: Africa and India
(extinct forms N America and Siberia)
w Physical characteristics:
• Largest current land mammals
• Heavy limb bones w/o fusions
• 5 toes/foot, digitigrade
• Heel pad supports weight
• Trunk
Elephant Teeth
w 2 tusks (upper incisors)
w 24 high crowned cheek teeth,
but only 4 functional at a time (6 sets)
Elephant Teeth
(cont’d)
w African tooth sets:
• 1= birth to 2nd
year
• 2= 1.5 to 5th
year
• 3= 2nd to 11th
year
• 4= 5th to 19th
year
• 5= 15th to 60th
year
• 6= 23rd to 60+
year
Elephantidae
(cont’d)
w Skull – air cells -
infrasound
w Live in forests, scrub,
savannah; must be near water
w Eat trees, shrubs, grasses,
aquatic plants; up to 500 lb per day, up to 40 gallons of water per drinking
episode
Elephantidae
(cont’d)
w Highly social, F kin groups,
bachelor herds of young bulls, mature bulls solitary
w Sexual maturity = 15 years
w 1 calf (200 lbs), 22 month
gestation, nursed 2 years
w Grows throughout life
w Lifespan 60-70 years
Elephant Evolution
Mammoth (extinct)
African Elephant
w Head projects forward
w Up to 5 tons
w Larger ears
w 2 “fingers” on trunk
w Large tusks in males and
females
African Elephant
Asian/Indian
Elephant
w Head pushed in
w Up to 6 tons
w Smaller ears
w Single “finger” on trunk
w Smaller tusks, rudimentary
in females
Asian/Indian
Elephant
Elephant Molar
Elephant skull –
sagittal section
Bull in musth