Aug 11, 2021
By: Mona Pachake
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Elephants are known to learn more than 60 commands. The elephant's temporal lobe (the area of the brain associated with memory) is larger and denser than that of humans.
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An elephant’s brain weighs around 11-13 pounds which is about four times the size of a human brain. They have the largest brain of any land mammal.
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Elephants are the national animal of just one country — Thailand.
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Elephants may have massive ears, but they can also pick up on noises via their feet, which register low-frequency rumbles caused by other animals up to 20 miles away.
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Elephants communicate primarily through sounds or vocalisations known as rumbles. These rumbles have fundamental frequencies in the infrasonic range below 30 Hertz, which means that they cannot be heard by humans.
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Though their hide looks tough, elephants have sensitive skin that can get a sunburn. When coming out of a bath in a river, elephants will often throw mud on themselves as a layer of protection as well.
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Both the male and female African elephants have tusks while only the male Asian elephants have tusks. The larger his tusks, the more attractive a male elephant may appear to a female.
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They serve a variety of purposes: digging, lifting objects, gathering food, stripping bark from trees to eat, and defence. The tusks also protect the trunk.
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African elephants are pregnant for up to 22 months, while Asian elephants are pregnant for 18-22 months. This is actually the longest gestation period of all land mammals.
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Elephants can drink up to 50 gallons of water a day and can live up to four days without water.
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