A man with many arms, sitting on a mouse or rat. One way or another, this is Ganesha - the god of wisdom and prosperity in Hinduism. Every year, on the fourth day of the month of Bhadrapada, Hindus hold parades in honor of Ganesh for 10 days, walking the streets with his statues, which are then solemnly drowned in the river.
For the inhabitants of India, the elephant is a familiar animal. However, the elephant is well known in other cultures as well. Of course, the largest animal on the planet is respected everywhere. But, at the same time, this respect is good-natured, akin to the character of the animal itself. “Like an elephant in a china shop,” we joke, although the elephant, adjusted for its size, is an agile animal, even elegant. “Wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen”, - the Germans echo, whose shop is already porcelain. "An elephant never forgets" - say the British, implying a good memory and vindictiveness of elephants. "
Who has not seen such sets?
On the other hand, who among us, visiting the zoo, was not fascinated by the good nature of intelligent elephant eyes? These huge colossus always walked around the enclosure, paying minimum attention to the squealing and squealing kids. Elephants in the circus act as if they realize the need for all these climbing on pedestals, moving at the signal of the trainer, and even getting up on their heads to the drumbeat.
The elephant is a unique animal not only for its size or intelligence. The elephants literally shocked the scientists who had watched them for years. These huge carcasses touchingly take care of children, are irreconcilable to predators in any guise, are content with little in difficult conditions, and come off to the fullest if the opportunity arises. A modern elephant can spray water from the trunk of annoying zoo visitors on a hot day. His ancestors frightened Portuguese sailors, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean a hundred kilometers from the coast.
1. Elephant tusks are modified upper incisors. Tusks are unique to every slope, with the exception of Indian elephants, which do not have tusks. The shape and size of each pair of tusks is unique. This is due, firstly, to heredity, secondly, to the intensity of the use of tusks, and, thirdly, and this is the most conspicuous sign of whether the elephant is left-handed or right-handed. The tusk located on the "working" side is usually much smaller in size. On average, the tusks reach 1.5 - 2 meters in length and weigh 25 - 40 kilograms (the weight of a simple tooth is up to 3 kg). Indian elephants have smaller tusks than their African counterparts.
Lefty elephant
2. The presence of tusks nearly killed the elephants as a species. With the more or less widespread penetration of Europeans into Africa, the real genocide of these giants began. For the extraction of tusks, which were called "ivory", tens of thousands of elephants were annually killed. Already at the beginning of the twentieth century, the volume of the ivory market was estimated at 600 tons per year. At the same time, there was no utilitarian need in the extraction and manufacture of products from elephant tusks. Ivory was used to make trinkets, fans, domino bones, billiard balls, keys for musical instruments and other things extremely necessary for the survival of mankind. Conservationists sounded the alarm already in the 1930s, when the first bans on ivory mining appeared. Formally, from time to time, the authorities of countries where elephants are found sharply limit or prohibit the hunting of elephants and the sale of tusks. Prohibitions help to increase the population size, but they do not fundamentally solve the problem. There are two main factors at work against elephants: the cost of ivory and the impact of its extraction on the economies of the poorest countries. In China, which has taken the lead in the processing of tusks from the United States, their kilogram on the black market costs more than $ 2,000. For the sake of such money, poachers can store tusks in the savanna for years in anticipation of the next permit or to sell ivory, or to extract it, which is the same thing. And such permits are issued by the government from time to time, referring to the difficult economic situation.
But the ivory trade is prohibited ...
3. There is nothing good in the indiscriminate increase in the number of elephants, as well as in the thoughtless shooting of these animals. Yes, they are smart, usually good-natured and generally harmless animals. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that the daily ration of an adult elephant can be up to 400 kilograms of greens (this, of course, is not the norm, but an opportunity, in zoos elephants consume about 50 kg of food, however, more high-calorie). One individual needs an area of about 5 km for a year's food2... Accordingly, the "extra" thousand eared giants will occupy an area equal to two countries such as Luxembourg. And the population of Africa is constantly growing, that is, new fields are plowed up and new gardens are planted. Elephants, as already indicated, are intelligent animals, and they understand the difference between hard grass or branches and corn very well. Therefore, African peasants often take a negative view of the ban on hunting elephants.
4. In addition to tusks, elephants have one more feature that makes each individual unique - ears. More precisely, the pattern of veins and capillaries in the ears. Despite the fact that the ears of elephants are covered with leather up to 4 cm thick on both sides, this pattern is clearly distinguishable. It is as individual as a person's fingerprint. Elephants have gotten big ears through evolution. Heat is intensely released through the network of blood vessels located in the ears, that is, the larger the area of the ears, the more intense the heat transfer. The efficiency of the process increases the waving of the ears. Of course, the huge ears give the elephants good hearing. At the same time, the range of hearing in elephants differs from that of humans - elephants hear well low frequency sounds that are not captured by humans. Elephants also distinguish the tone of sound, they hear and understand music. According to some reports, they also maintain contact with their relatives with their ears, similar to human gestures.
5. The sight of elephants, when compared with other animals of the savannah, is unimportant. But this is not a disadvantage, but a consequence of evolution. Elephants do not need to look closely for prey or dangerous predators. Food will not run away from an elephant, and predators will run away from the path of elephants, regardless of whether the giants saw them or not. The combination of sight, hearing and smell is quite sufficient to navigate in space and communicate with fellows.
6. The process of conceiving, bearing, giving birth and raising offspring in elephants is very complicated. The body of the female is tuned in such a way that in unfavorable natural conditions even females that have reached puberty or have already given birth do not ovulate, that is, they are unable to conceive offspring. Even under suitable conditions, the “window of opportunity” for the male lasts only two days. Mating is usually claimed by several males living separately from a tribe consisting of females and babies. Accordingly, the right to become a father is won in duels. After mating, the father retires to the savannah, and the expectant mother falls under the care of the entire herd. Pregnancy lasts from 20 to 24 months, depending on the species of elephants, the condition of the female and the development of the fetus. Indian female elephants usually carry babies faster than African elephants. An older female helps to give birth to a mother. Usually one elephant is born, twins are very rare. Until 6 months, he feeds on mother's milk (its fat content reaches 11%), then begins to nibble greens. Other female elephants can also feed him with milk. It is believed that from 2 years old the elephant is able to feed without milk - by this time it learns to use the trunk. But his mother can feed him up to 4 - 5 years. An elephant becomes an adult at 10 - 12, and even at 15 years old. Soon after, he is removed from the herd for an independent life. After giving birth, the female begins a long recovery process. Its duration also depends on external conditions, and can be up to 12 years.
A rare occurrence in the wild: baby elephants of the same age in the same herd
7. Claims that elephants become drunk after eating rotten fruit of the marula tree are most likely mistaken - elephants would have to eat too much fruit. At least, this is the conclusion reached by biologists at the University of Bristol. Perhaps the video with drunken elephants, the first of which was shot by renowned director Jamie Weiss back in 1974 for the film Animals Are Beautiful People, captures drunken elephants after consuming homemade mash. Elephants rake the fallen fruit into holes and let them rot well. Trained elephants are not alien to alcohol. As a prophylaxis against colds and as a tranquilizer, they are given vodka in a ratio of one liter per bucket of water or tea.
If only they had driven her out of sawdust ...
8. Long-term studies have shown that elephants can communicate with each other using sounds, postures and gestures. They are capable of expressing sympathy, compassion, heartfelt affection. If the herd encounters an accidentally surviving elephant, it will be adopted. Some female elephants flirt with members of the opposite sex, teasing them. A conversation between two elephants standing next to each other can last for hours. They even understood the purpose of darts with sleeping pills and often try to get them out of the body of a relative. Elephants not only sprinkle the bodies of dead relatives with sticks and leaves. Having stumbled upon the remains of another elephant, she stops in front of them for several hours, as if paying tribute to the deceased. Like monkeys, elephants can use sticks to ward off insects. In Thailand, several elephants were taught to draw, and in South Korea, a trained elephant learned to pronounce a few words by sticking her trunk into her mouth.
So, you say, colleague, this one with a camera thinks we are almost reasonable?
9. Even Aristotle wrote that elephants are superior in mind to other animals. In terms of the number of convolutions of the cerebral cortex, elephants surpass primates, second only to dolphins. The IQ of elephants roughly matches the average of seven-year-olds. Elephants are able to use the simplest tools and solve simple logic problems. They have an excellent memory for roads, the location of watering places and dangerous places. Elephants also remember grudges well and are able to take revenge on the enemy.
10. Elephants live up to 70 years. Moreover, their death, unless, of course, it was caused by a poacher's bullet or an accident, occurs due to a lack of teeth. The need to constantly grind large amounts of tough vegetation has a negative effect on rapidly wearing teeth. Elephants change them 6 times. Having wiped off its last teeth, the elephant dies.
11. Elephants were actively used in hostilities already 2,000 years ago in China. Gradually, elephant cavalry (now scientists actively use the term "elephanteria") penetrated into Europe. Elephants did not revolutionize theaters of war. In those battles where elephants played a decisive role, the skill of the commander was the main thing. So, in the battle of Ipsus (301 BC), the Babylonian king Seleucus struck with elephants on the flank of the army of Antiochus the One-Eyed. This blow separated the cavalry of Antiochus from the infantry and allowed him to defeat his army in parts. Even if Seleucus had inflicted a flank blow not with elephants, but with heavy cavalry, the result would not have changed. And the army of the famous Hannibal in the battle of Evpus (202 BC) was simply trampled by their own elephants. The Romans frightened the elephant squadron on the attack. The animals turned in panic and overturned their own infantry. With the advent of a large-caliber firearm, war elephants turned into donkeys of increased carrying capacity - they began to be used exclusively as transport.
12. The most famous elephant in the world is still Jumbo, who died in 1885. Brought to Paris from Africa at the age of one, this elephant made a splash in the French capital in turn and became a public favorite in London. He was traded to the UK for a rhino. Jumbo rolled English children on his back, ate bread from the queen's hands, and gradually grew to 4.25 m and weighed 6 tons. He was called the largest elephant in the world, and perhaps this was true - few African elephants grow to large sizes. In 1882, American circus impresario Phineas Bartum bought Jumbo for $ 10,000 to perform at his circus. There was a massive protest campaign in England, in which even the queen participated, but the elephant still went to the United States. In the first year, Jumbo's performances grossed a whopping $ 1.7 million. At the same time, a huge elephant simply entered the arena and calmly stood or walked, while other elephants performed various tricks. It wasn't about laziness - African elephants cannot be trained. Jumbo's death only added to his popularity. A poor elephant was hit by a train because of the negligence of a railroad worker.
American classic: selfie in the photo of the corpse of everyone's favorite Jumbo
13. The most famous elephant in the Soviet Union was Shango. In his youth, this Indian elephant had a chance to travel a lot around the country as part of a traveling zoo troupe. In the end, the elephant, which outgrew all conceivable dimensions of Indian elephants - Shango was 4.5 meters tall and weighed more than 6 tons, got tired of the life of a wanderer and once he simply smashed the railway car in which he was transported. Fortunately, in 1938, an elephant enclosure was reconstructed and reinforced at the Moscow Zoo, in which four elephants already lived. In transit through Stalingrad, Shango went to the capital. There he quickly subdued the old-timers to his will, and every morning he took them out of the elephant, and in the evening he drove them back. During the Great Patriotic War, Shango could not be evacuated, and the elephant himself showed calmness, and even put out several incendiary bombs. His girlfriend Jindau, whom Shango did not release to evacuate, died, and the elephant's character continued to deteriorate. That all changed in 1946 when Shango had a new girlfriend. Her name was Molly. The new girlfriend not only pacified Shango, but also gave birth to two elephants from him, and with a minimum break for elephants of 4 years. Getting offspring from elephants in captivity is still a huge rarity. Molly died in 1954. One of her sons underwent surgery, and the elephant tried, as it seemed to her, to save the elephant from death, and received severe wounds. Shango stoically endured the death of his second girlfriend and died at the age of 50 in 1961. Shango's favorite pastime is to gently snatch the treat from the child's hand.
14. In 2002, Europe experienced the largest flood in a couple of centuries. The Czech Republic suffered greatly. In this small Eastern European country, the flooding was rated as the largest in the last 500 years. Among the animals killed in the flood on the page of the Prague Zoo, rhinos and an elephant are mentioned. The negligence of the zoo attendants led to the death of animals. An elephant could swim along the Danube to the Black Sea without experiencing any discomfort. In hot weather, in natural conditions, elephants submerge under water to a depth of two meters, leaving only the tip of the trunk above the surface. However, the servants were reinsured and shot four animals. Among them was the elephant Kadir.
15. Elephants have repeatedly become characters in movies. The elephant named Rango has played in more than 50 films. Anastasia Kornilova, a spokeswoman for a dynasty of animal trainers, recalls that Rango not only did exactly what was prescribed in the role, but also kept order. The elephant has always protected little Nastya from a colleague named Flora. The African elephant was distinguished by a changeable character. In case of danger, Rango hid the girl, wrapping her trunk around her. The biggest role Rango played in the film "The Soldier and the Elephant" with Frunzik Mkrtchyan.She can also be seen in the films "The Adventures of the Yellow Suitcase", "The Old Man Hottabych" and other paintings. The pet of the Leningrad Zoo Bobo also has more than one motion picture on his account. This elephant flashes on the screen in the films "The Old Timer" and "Today is a New Attraction". However, the touching picture "Bob and the Elephant" became Bobo's benefit performance. In it, a boy who made friends with an elephant living in a zoo was given a consonant name. In the wonderful comedy "Solo for an Elephant with Orchestra", in which Leonid Kuravlev and Natalya Varley starred, the elephant Rezi even sang. And Bill Murray starred in comedies not only with dogs and marmots. In his filmography there is a picture "More than life." In it, he plays a writer who inherited the elephant Tai.
