Interesting Facts About the Behavior of Wild Elephants

Interesting facts about the behavior of wild elephants

Anti-predator behavior

Given their gregarious size and nature, elephants’ matriarchal societies don’t tend to fall prey to predators. However, having said that, their young can sometimes be quite vulnerable.

Just like hoofed animals, newborn elephants are able to walk quite quickly. This trait allows them to keep up with the rest of the herd. Just the same, young elephants are vulnerable to predators’ attacks, especially when they stray from the group.

Foraging or finding food

We find elephants living in a variety of habitats, which means that their diets are very diverse. Foraging includes everything from grass to fruits, bark, roots, leaves, and branches. The combination of their trunk, their powerful tongue, and an incredibly strong body allow elephants to feed off small plants as well as trees.

Factors that influence foraging

• Age: The ability to enjoy such a varied diet becomes more and more limited as wild elephants advance in age. Baby elephants, at first, get their nourishment exclusively from their mother’s milk. But little by little, they start experimenting with other foods while still maintaining lactation, which lasts until the age of 2.
• Sex: Among elephants, there exists a sexual dimorphism that favors males. We can observe this particularly when it comes to the possibilities of finding food.

Studies show that groups of male wild elephants are much less selective in their search for food than females. Males tend to prioritize quantity while females are more inclined to look for quality food sources. This tendency may have to do with improving the quality of the milk they produce for their young.

The reproductive behavior of wild elephants

Both males and females mate with more than one partner when in heat. On the other hand, females tend to have only one baby per pregnancy

When it comes to courting, male elephants don’t necessarily have to be in musth. However, studies show that they are more reproductively dominant than those who aren’t. Musth is a phase during which male elephants (or “bulls”) display a more haughty and aggressive attitude. They hold their heads higher, stretch their ears, and puff their chests.

Playful behavior in wild elephants

Play among animals has no vital function, but it serves to prepare individuals for unexpected or stressful situations. Although young elephants have been observed carrying branches, running around, and chasing small animals, experts actually know very little about the playful behaviors of this species.

The only thing experts do know is that males have a much more aggressive way of playing. They tend to initiate false fights with other male individuals of the same age, including males from other family groups. Females, on the other hand, have more peaceful encounters, usually with younger females.