The tusks are composed of ivory (dentine) beneath the outer layer of enamel, but the peculiar diamond pattern of the elephant’s tusk gives it a distinctive luster that ivory tusks of other mammals such as hippos, warthogs, walruses, and sperm whales don’t have, and African elephants are sometimes killed by poachers just for their ivory tusks.Įlephants also have four molars, one on the top and one on the bottom on both sides of the mouth. Permanent tusks extend beyond the lips at about two to three years and grow throughout an elephant’s life. The tusks present at birth are milk teeth, which fall out after a year when they are about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long. They are used for defense, digging for water and food, and lifting things. Really long in the tooth. Tusks are an elephant’s incisor teeth and are the only incisors an elephant has. Elephants often spray themselves with water or roll in the mud or dust for protection from the sun and biting insects.
Elephant predators skin#
And even though it’s thick, an elephant’s skin is also very sensitive to touch and sunburn. But there’s a good reason for this-it keeps the elephant cool by trapping moisture that takes longer to evaporate. It’s also loose, which makes the elephant look like it’s wearing baggy pants or sagging stockings. The skinny on skin. The term “pachyderm” is from the Greek word pachydermos, which means “thick skinned,” and this term often refers to elephants, rhinos, and hippopotamuses.Īn elephant’s skin can be up to 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) thick on some parts of its body. If they have just splashed around in a river, all the better! This ear flapping behavior cools their large bodies on warm days. As elephants flap their ears on a hot day, the blood flowing through the many blood vessels in the ears is cooled. Asian elephants have smaller ears, usually only the males have visible tusks, they only have one “finger” at the end of their trunk, and their back is dome-shaped.Ĭool ears! An elephant’s ears are a like an air conditioner. African elephants are the largest mammals on land. African elephants (both species) have large ears that are shaped like the continent of Africa, both males and females have visible tusks, their skin is very wrinkly, their back is swayed, and the end of their trunk works as if they have two fingers there to help them pick things up. There is some ongoing debate about how many subspecies may exist, or whether some of these might, in fact, be species in their own right. There are three types of elephants that are usually recognized: the African savanna elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant.
If all elephants seem the same to you, take a closer look. There are many stories about elephants-you’ve probably heard of Horton, Babar, and Dumbo. Humans have been impressed by elephants for centuries, simply because they are so big-a male African elephant can weigh up to 7.5 tons (6.8 metric tons)! They also amaze us with their long and flexible noses, large and flapping ears, and loose, wrinkly skin. Have you “herd”? They’re enormous and intelligent, strong and sociable.
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