If you thought nine months was a long time to carry a baby, pity the poor elephant. Their gestation period is an incredible 22 months - the longest pregnancy of any land animal. Furthermore, giving birth isn’t always a happy experience, as baby elephants can weigh as much as 120kg (265lb). Ouch!

(Source: uktv.co.uk, via dailyelly)

Sleeping Pattern

Elephants only sleep for 3-4 on average every 24 hours! But they do eat around 300 lbs of food a day for the energy!

 

I wish I only had to sleep for a few hours, would get so much more done!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Elephants May Die From a Broken Heart

Male elephants tend to roam around by themselves, whereas the females and children tend to be in groups. Some females have their best friend who they do everything with. It is not an unknown fact that elephants grieve. Imagine your best friend dying, the pain you would feel. Elephants gather round the dead and rock back and forth and some even say they cry. They are such gentle, emotional elephants regardless of how big you are, you can have feelings too!

An elephant’s trunk is an extension of its upper lip and nose, and contains around 40,000 individual muscles. Both types of African elephants have two finger-like nodules at the end of their trunks, Asian elephants have just one. Elephants use their trunks for many things, including gathering food and social interaction - elephants that know each other will often entwine their trunks as a sign of greeting.

(Source: uktv.co.uk)