Things Elephants Do
Elephants are the biggest and heaviest land animals on the planet. There are 3 different species of elephants. Asian elephant , African forest elephant , and the African bush elephant . The biggest threat to elephants when they swim is currents that could move them from shallow waters to open sea in no time. Crocodiles could potentially kill an elephant, but it is very unlikely. The biggest threat to elephants when they swim is humans.
Calves will suck water into their trunks and spray each other playfully. Elephants also love to cool themselves by having a mud bath. They will scoop wet soil from the bottom of a lake or the river and spray it on to their body to get respite from heat. Despite being that heavy, elephants can swim. Actually, all species of elephants are great swimmers.
The pachyderm’s massive body, very surprisingly, gives them enough buoyancy to float easily. They swim completely submerged, with their head above the water and their mouths below, and use all four legs to paddle. The biggest advantage that elephants have above all other mammals is their trunk. A very versatile proboscis, they use their trunk like a snorkel.
Elephants are native to Asian forests and African savannas, where temperatures can reach extremes. Water is essential to the survival of these species. These creatures can perish quickly if they do not have access to water throughout the summer. In fact, they had no choice but to leap into the water to cool down their bodies during intense heat. Under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Asian elephants are classified as endangered and have faced significant threats from logging and loss of habitat. Some elephants have even found fame as swimmers.
On the day I took this photo, I was with him on one of his longer swims and I used a weight belt to freedive down to get the angle I wanted. He’d totally immerse himself funny elephants and use his trunk like a snorkel, which was so cool. Every morning, Rajan would go into the jungle or walk down to the beach. He went swimming whenever he felt like it. He seemed to have adapted to swimming in salt water and even to enjoy it.
If you run, the elephant will be more likely to chase you. The sea faring elephants of the Andamans and Sri Lanka are very well known. Legends like the elephant named Rajan, of the Andamans, was featured in a Hollywood movie too. However, I had not been lucky enough to see one actually swim, until this March, in Kaziranga, when I was a first hand witness to that. He felt so comfortable with Nazroo and didn’t want to be far from him.
Although the calf will eventually gain full control of its trunk, it won’t happen until it is several months old. It takes calves time to learn to use them, and at first they often tread on their own trunks. Elephants are the strongest animals alive, and can lift up to 770 pounds with their trunks.
Regulate their body temperatures through rolling in mud or taking a swim. When an elephant gets into water or mud, they store that material in their skin. This helps their bodies stay cool, protects them from the sun and keeps parasites away. That is one of the reasons why you tend to see elephants around watering holes.
“The sensorineural specializations of the trunk tip of the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus.”, via the ICUN red list. Due to this, the African elephant is able to pick up objects delicately, while the Asian elephant can only scoop up objects by using its entire trunk. A litter for the average elephant family consists of one calf. Although twins are born, it is rare. The newborn calf will weigh between 200 and 250 pounds .