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10 Facts About Elephants That Will Make You Smile

10 Facts About Elephants That Will Make You Smile

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Are you in serious need of a pick-me-up because humans in your life are just not making sense today? It’s okay: animals make a lot more sense. Here are 10 facts about elephants that will make you smile.

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

 

Menopause, what?

Female elephants don’t hear their biological clock start ticking until much later in life than humans. Though their prime time to breed is in their teens and twenties, most can have babies into their 50’s! Elephants only live until about 50 so that means they’re fertile for almost their entire lives.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

There’s an elephant sperm bank

If you’re worried these friendly floppy-eared creatures are disappearing, don’t be! Zoo officials are in the process of opening the first ever elephant sperm bank, and have already collected 16 liters of the precious stuff.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

YouTube.com
YouTube.com

 

They love a little water aerobics

You know that swimming is one of the best exercises for your joints, and elephants know it too. They seek out water not just for utilitarian purposes like hydration, but also sometimes for the sole purpose of playing in the waves. Pretty adorable, don’t you think? Check out the YouTube video for your daily dose of cuteness.

Source: YouTube.com 

 

Pixabay.com
Pixabay.com

The greatest birthing group ever

When a pregnant elephant is ready to give birth, her herd forms a circle around her to provide her a safe environment to go into labor. Once the baby comes out, the entire herd helps the little thing stand up. That’s one strong pack of midwives!

Source: Jumbofoundation.com

Pixabay.com
Pixabay.com

 

Elephants suck on their “thumb”

Baby elephants suck on the ends of their trunks for comfort in the same way baby humans suck on their thumbs.

Source: Jumbofoundation.com

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

They hug

Elephants intertwine their trunks with one another as a way of saying hello and showing affection. They also caress their loved ones with their trunks when that loved one is stressed or unhappy.

Source: Thedodo.com

Flickr.com
Flickr.com

There are elephant babysitters and teachers

In an elephant herd, everybody helps each other out and a new mom gets help from the younger females in her group, who help look after and teach the baby. The grandmothers also help look after their grand babies.

Source: Jumbofoundation.com

Flickr.com
Flickr.com

Handled with care

Elephants can certainly pick up 200-pound baby elephant with their trunks, or yank a stubborn branch of a tree, but they also have such micro-control over their trunks that they can pick up something tiny like a berry.

Source: Jumbofoundation.com

Wikimedia.org
Wikimedia.org

Their feet have silencers

You’d expect such a large animal to make a lot of noise when it walked, but elephants actually have soft padding on the bottoms of their feet that serve as sort of shock absorbers, and allow them to move around almost silently.

Source: Happyelephantcontest.com

Wikimedia.org
Wikimedia.org

They visit “graves”

Elephants know when they’re passing a place where a loved one has died, and they often hold or gently touch the bones leftover from the deceased.

Source: Happyelephantcontest.com