Some time ago we looked at a few facts about elephants. Let’s look at some other interesting facts about this largest of all land animals. Elephants are not only the largest land animal, but they also have the distinction of having the largest ears in the world, and their tusks are the largest teeth.
The way elephants live together is interesting. A herd (8 to 100 elephants) is led by the oldest and usually largest female and is usually made up of related elephants. The males grow up with the group but leave by about the age of 12, usually living alone, and not mixing with the bigger group most of the year.
In some ways elephants are not too different from people. They have times of sadness and times of happiness. A writer tells of seeing two family groups, which had been separated quite a while, racing toward one another with loud calls, dancing and rubbing against one another, winding trunks together in a loving way. Most elephants are peaceful and get along with almost all other animals. However, some have quick tempers.
At birth a baby elephant weighs about 250 to 300 pounds and is about three feet tall. It can stand and walk almost immediately, but it stays close to its mother throughout its early years. The mother is very loving and attentive, often hugging it with her trunk, while her huge ears slowly flap. This may be to keep insects away or to provide some cooling on a hot day. Baby elephants sometimes suck their trunks as human babies suck their thumbs. They are also playful, playing chase and pulling other babies’ tails.
In one day, a fully-grown wild elephant will eat about 300 to 400 pounds of grass, bushes, roots, tree bark, miscellaneous plants and any fresh fruit it can find. It also drinks 18 to 26 gallons of water every day. A sick or injured elephant will be cared for by other elephants. They bring it food and even help it to stand. If it dies, they seem to be sad, and still bring it food and water for a while.
We see what we would call kindness being shown by elephants. They are kind to their offspring, caring for their needs and teaching them how to live in the world where they are born. They are kind to one another, as we see in their care for the sick and dying. We live in a world where there is often a great lack of kindness. But the Bible speaks of the “kindness and love of God” (Titus 3:44But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, (Titus 3:4)). He is kind, and as our opening verse says, God wants His children to be kind to one another.
Did You Know?
A fully-grown wild elephant drinks 18 to 26 gallons of water every day.
Messages of God’s Love 7/9/2023