Life of African Elephants - Largest Terrestrial Mammals of the Earth - 4K Nature Documentary Film

African elephants are giant creatures whose ancestors inhabited African savannas 60 million years ago. Being the largest of all land animals on earth, their structure and body shape is astonishing and the high level of social development intrigues any researcher. Elephants are the only remaining trunked mammals on the planet. Other representatives such as mammoths and mastodons died out around 10,000 years ago. The elephant is one of the smartest animals on earth. These giants exhibit complex behaviors and a unique social organization. They mourn their dead relatives from their herd and have been known to cover their bodies with leaves. They help other animals in need have excellent memories and are able to learn complex routines. The social life of elephants revolves around a herd headed by the oldest and most experienced females, the matriarch. The supreme elephant, her sisters and offspring form a herd of up to 100 individuals. The matriarch is chosen for her leadership abilities, knowledge and skills as well as for the extent to which she has developed natural instincts and good character. The matriarch remains with her herd for her entire life. She takes care of finding water during the dry months, tends to young elephants and protects her clan from predators when any threatening situations arise. For elephants there is nothing more important than their social connections in herds. These phenomenal animals care about each other not only to protect themselves from predators for survival but also have very strong emotional bonds with each other. The average life expectancy of these giants is between 50 and 70 years. The size of the elephant herd depends largely on the available resources. When food and water are always available elephants can gather in large groups of up to 100 which are called clans. If the herd becomes too large it can disintegrate. Then several elephants separate and form a new group. Sometimes they meet at a watering hole when they engage in an emotional and love-filled meeting before they disperse again. Some male elephants live apart from the females and younger elephants and lead a bachelor-like lifestyle. While female elephants are focused on educating the future generation, male elephants are more concerned about its creation, that is about meeting a female. However they need to travel a long path before this can be achieved. Elephants under 30 years old rarely manage to mate as they are usually driven away by the herd by an older male. After reaching puberty the male elephant between the ages of 12 and 15 becomes independent of his mother and completely abandons the herd. During this period its testosterone level rises 10 times and it becomes very aggressive. The temporal glands behind the eyes are enlarged and urine is continuously released as it walks. This is how the elephant advertises his excellent physical condition and readiness for mating. Males wander alone or join a group of other male elephants with a certain hierarchy of dominance. Males are more likely to gather in herds during difficult periods of food shortages or in case of threats from predators. This is how elephants form separate herds of females and males. These groups rarely interact with each other and their encounters are usually limited to reproduction, that is males come into contact with female elephants only when they want to mate. In nature there are also unique cases where females and males as well as orphan elephant calves live together and are united in a separate group. This happens in case of a threat to the life of elephants or other dangers. This demonstrates the flexibility of their social arrangements. When a female is ready for intercourse she makes specific sounds that attract the males. If several elephants respond to those sounds they may compete among themselves for the female. The African elephant is pregnant for an average of 22 months. For about two years she carries her baby. This is the largest gestation among all mammals. In rare occasions females give birth to twin elephant calves. This occurs in less than one percent of elephant pregnancies. Elephants are born with an impressive weight of 90 to 120 kilograms. Interestingly most elephant births occur at night. An impressive 99 percent of elephants come into the world in the dark. Researchers believe this is an evolutionary trait that these giants develop to protect their babies from predators and be able to give birth in a calm environment. The mother will breastfeed her calf with milk from birth till about two or four years. During this period elephants are considered dependent and cared for by the mother and other elephants from the herd. If elephant calves are in danger the female makes a loud trumpet sound. Then the herd forms a protective ring around the calf to scare away the predator. The social structure of elephants can be compared to that of humans. Elephant calves require special attention. They depend on their mothers and herd members for many years, study the world around them all the time and acquire new skills to pass on to the next generation. Researchers from Britain, Finland and Myanmar have recently found that having an older sister has a significantly positive impact on elephants development. Scientists have studied the long-term impact of siblings on young elephants and they came to the conclusion that an elephant that grew up with an older sister is more adapted to survival and has a higher level of fertility. In particular elephants that grew up with older sisters began to reproduce at least two years earlier than elephants that had older brothers. Due to the high level of responsibility required to raise each individual elephant the members of the herd make sure that the younger generation grows up with the utmost care. The elephant calf needs a lot of food to be strong. From birth these little giants are fed with mother's milk every hour and a half. As they grow older they switch over to grass and plants. The elephant is an herbivore. The only source of nutrients for elephants is vegetation. An adult male or female elephant consumes up to 300 kilos of leaves and grass per day. At the same time the weight of the elephant can reach six to seven tons. The elephant is not only the largest land mammal on the planet but also one of the strongest. African elephants can carry up to nine tons of cargo. They're able to lift a weight that exceeds their body weight. To maintain their massive bodies elephants constantly search for food and eat a lot. They graze and look for food 18 to 20 hours a day. However, almost half of the consumed vegetation is not digested by the elephant's body but simply eliminated. This indicates the shortcomings of their food source. Elephants also drink a lot of water from 100 to 180 liters a day. Elephants will eat almost any vegetation. Tree barks, savanna grass, fruits like mangoes and figs, plant roots and stems, flowers, leaves, local crops including rice, bananas, sugar cane and the soil to allow salts and minerals to enter the body. Elephants absorb food through their trunks. This is the most impressive part of their body. In addition to being a long nose for sniffing, breathing and trumpeting, the trunk is also used as a hand to grab objects. It's interesting that newborn elephants soothe themselves by pulling their trunk into their mouths like children who like to suck their fingers. It helps elephant calves to learn their trunk, strengthen its muscles and learn how to control it better. Incredibly, newborn elephants though don't instinctively know how to use their trunk. When they're born they don't have the muscle tone in that part of the body. Therefore, elephant calves have to train a lot in order to develop the strength and agility of their trunk. They strengthen it by playing in the water and swinging it back and forth and before they've gained full control they're unable to suck up water to drink and must bend down and use their mouth. The trunk is as unique as it is sensitive. Delicate enough to take the grass out of the ground and strong enough to tear the branches out of the tree. The trunk is also used as a huge straw. Elephants can suck up to 14 liters of water in their trunk at a time and then squeeze that water into their mouths to drink. While bathing, elephants use their trunk to spray themselves with water and mud. It seems fantastic but the trunk of an elephant has 40,000 muscles. By comparison, humans only have about 600 muscles over our entire body. The trunk of the elephant is extremely powerful and flexible and these 40,000 muscles give it a wide range of motion. With a trunk, an elephant can lift a weight of up to 300 kilos. It can easily tear off the trunk of trees and pull large branches to its mouth. At the same time, there are protrusions on the tip of the trunk that look like fingers which allows them to lift the smallest objects such as a coin from the ground. An elephant also uses the trunk to communicate. It is well known that elephants are able to trumpet loudly but they can also scream, rumble and even make a sound elusive to the human ear that can be heard by other elephants for tens of kilometers. The elephant's trumpeting is created by pushing air through the trunk. They use this sound in times of intense fear or excitement or when they want to warn other elephants about a predator. For example, an elephant might trumpet when it sees a lion in a bush nearby. When the elephant is surprised or irritated, he can also trumpet. At the same time, this sound can be heard when elephants are happy and playful. Then elephants run, trumpet and swing their trunks. By trumpeting, the giant can communicate at a distance of up to a kilometer with another elephant. However, for everyday communication, elephants mainly use rumbling. It is a vibratory and powerful resonant sound, a bit like a cat's purring but deeper and more regular. It can spread over long distances, up to 10 kilometers. The frequency of some elephant rumblings is too low for the human ear to hear them. This is a useful way to communicate with the distant members of the herd. Sometimes in the wild, a lot of elephants can rumble at the same time. This means they talk and decide what to do or greet each other. And to scare the predator away, elephants roar loud. In total, they use more than 70 different kinds of voice sounds to communicate with their herd. In addition to voice communication, elephants have up to 160 gestures and visual cues. To say hello, elephants touch each other with their trunks. The raised trunk is if saying to another giant, hello. If one of the elephants puts his trunk in the other's mouth, then he wants to make peace with them. Elephants use all their senses, hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch when interacting with each other. They have a wide range of signals, calls, gestures and shouts to warn their herd of predators, resolve conflicts, groom with partners, or even just casually talk to other elephants. If an elephant wants to frighten a predator, it spreads its ears wide and visually becomes bigger. It can also simply shake its head side to side or move the trunk forward. During a group attack, a herd of elephants can approach their opponent in a very coordinated manner. If an elephant feels uncomfortable or insecure, it may occasionally lift or gently wave its front leg or touch its ears, temple or torso with its trunk. If an elephant wants to show a friendly gesture, it approaches another elephant and can rub its head or side on it. Elephants also communicate by seismic fluctuations. An elephant can stomp its feet and this signal will be heard by a herd of other elephants many kilometers away. This behavior is known as seismic coupling. Many small animal species use it to find partners, prey and new territories. However, this behavior is not typical for large mammals. Elephants may even feel thunderstorms coming. Elephants are intelligent and capable of intricate emotions. In the animal kingdom, the elephant is one of the most intelligent species. These big-eared creatures also have a bigger brain than most terrestrial mammals. This is proved by the so-called mirror test, a well-known method for determining the intelligence of animals. Most mammals do not recognize their reflection in the mirror and believe they are looking at another animal. However, elephants are able to recognize themselves in the mirror, which indicates their emotional intelligence and high level of self-awareness. Elephants masterfully use tools such as stones and tree branches for very difficult purposes. They take branches to scratch their backs, chase away flies or even use as weapons to fight off predators that come too close. Also, these giants can carry the branches with them for a long time to use them later. While researchers study the social intelligence of elephants, they note their incredible sophistication. It's been proven that elephants care very much and protect each other in their family groups. They work together to access water or food and share resources with each other. Their emotional range is impressive. They're able to detect different types of emotions and exhibit behaviors that are rarely seen among other animal species. For example, elephants have a ritual when a member of the herd dies. The elephants guard the corpse of the deceased in trumpet. They touch, push or sit near their deceased relative. And if a predator wants to get close to the carcass, elephants show aggressive behavior. An elephant can often be seen crying or worrying near its dead herd member. During the loss of a close elephant, their behavior also changes. They make piercing shouts, often isolate themselves and refuse to eat while they mourn the deceased. There have been some recorded cases of elephants mourning a person. In 2012, Lawrence Anthony, an African environmentalist and nature defender, died. It's said that the elephants felt his death and traveled several kilometers to stand guard near his house and protect his body. Lawrence's family is positive that the elephants remembered the good that the animal rights activists had done for them and came to say goodbye. Impressive memory is another trait of these animals. Elephants are able to remember places with a water source for a long period of time. Herds in the wild often return to watering places many weeks after they've been discovered. The extraordinary ability to remember, according to researchers, explains the reason why elephants survive in the wild. Matriarchs accumulate and memorize knowledge and skills throughout their lives, which their herds cannot do without. But elephants don't just use their memory to find resources. These giants simultaneously remember the location of up to 20 members of their herd to catch up with or find them if necessary. They remember friends and even enemies for several years. And while an adult elephant does not face constant threats in the wild because of its enormous size and thick skin, that makes it almost immune to attacks. Elephant calves can be vulnerable to hyenas, lions, tigers, leopards, and African wild dogs. In general, elephants are born almost blind. Even as adults, elephants don't have very good eyesight. And as a child, they navigate using their trunks and the instructions of their mothers. And if the elephant calf gets lost or separated from the herd, it could become prey for predators. If an adult elephant walks alone, it could be attacked by a pride of lions. At the same time, according to legend, elephants are not comfortable with small field rodents. In ancient times, there were stories about mice climbing into the trunks of elephants and driving them crazy. However, in the wild, anything that suddenly runs past an elephant can frighten it. It's not just about the mouse. It's about any animal that makes a sharp move. Elephants have a keen sense of smell, but poor vision. So obviously they're programmed to be wary until they know if an animal that makes a sudden move is a threat. But what elephants don't dare do is jump. Their huge legs are not designed for that at all. Apart from the fact that all the bones of the elephant's legs are too heavy to lift off the ground, they also lack flexibility. Aside from the anatomy that makes the ability of elephants to jump unlikely, there's no need for it. After all, the main reason why small animals jump is the desire to avoid danger. They use flexibility, speed, and jumps to get away from predators. Elephants don't need that. What elephants need to do is protect their sensitive skin from the sun. They should regularly take baths in water and mud to keep cool, protect themselves from sunburn, insect bites, and loss of moisture. Adult elephants spray water and mud on their children with their trunk to protect them from the sun's rays. It's important because these giants live in an environment of frequent heat and drought. Elephants have sensitive and very wrinkled skin at the same time. After researching it, scientists found that wrinkles are a complex network of micro valleys. They're formed when the outer layer of the skin, also called the epidermis, thickens and bends with age causing cracks. This cracked skin surface retains five to ten times more water than the smooth one. This skin structure helps the elephant cool down because moisture from rain or from dirt does not evaporate from wrinkles that quickly. To keep away from the heat, elephants have another natural protection. Skin hair that works like a built-in conditioner. According to a Princeton University study, elephant skin hair serves as a cooling mechanism that takes away the heat from the body. Although many animals have wool or fur to keep them warm, on the contrary, elephants have thin hair that serves as a coolant. This built-in air conditioner is especially helpful on windless days. Elephant calves have the most hair. They usually have dark reddish brown hair covering most of their body. The hair is scattered unevenly, most of all around the eyes, ears, chin, on the trunk, and the tip of the tail. The hair on the tail is quite stiff and serves as a built-in fly swatter that doesn't allow annoying flies to sit down and bite. Large rounded elephant ears are also a very effective organ for keeping cool. The size of the ears depends on the number of blood vessels. This allows a huge amount of warm blood to flow through the capillaries and release excess heat into the environment. This effect can be amplified when the elephant waves its ears. Elephants can do without water for up to four days, but they are also able to use their trunk and tusks to dig wells if needed. By doing so, they help out not only themselves, but also other animals. They dig through dry channels of streams to find water under the surface and work until they make a large water source. Other animals will come later to the watering hole created by the elephants. These giants can smell the water five kilometers away. Often they stay near ponds and water sources until they've had enough to drink. When there is enough water, the elephant splashes it on its back to cool down. They even swim and play in the water. It turns out that elephants are remarkably nimble and despite their enormous size, very good swimmers by nature. The body of an elephant has more than enough buoyancy to float on the water, even if it's not actively moving. Like humans, they can just stop swimming and let the body float in the water. Elephants swim by paddling those massive legs. They're so powerful they can swim continuously for up to six hours. Elephants are also able to swim underwater. Using their trunks as snorkels for breathing, they can dive underwater. However, they don't swim too deep. The elephant holds its head and body right under the surface of the water and then paddles forward with its massive limbs. But the trunk is always above the water so that they can breathe with it. Thanks to this method, elephants seldom drown. Swimming is an exciting pastime, especially for elephant calves. When a herd comes across a body of water, they spend time together in the water and splash each other. Studies have shown that elephants often participate in social games. Even the older members of the herd sometimes join in on the fun, allowing the babies to climb on them and splash them with water. In case of a water shortage, these giants can take a dust bath. If there are baobab trees in the environment, they can use it as a source of water. By pushing and breaking the baobab in half, an elephant can find a reservoir of water inside the trunk, which it drinks quickly. If elephants are in a very dry area, especially if the drought has continued for a long time, the herd begins to migrate to other areas in search of water. They migrate as far as necessary. If the arid area is small, the herd does not go far. However, when the drought covers a large area, elephants travel to remote areas, often there until the onset of rainy weather. In search of water and food, elephants walk an average of 5 to 25 kilometers per day. Thanks to this, they have an extremely varied diet. If necessary, they're able to travel up to 80 kilometers per day. Such long walks are rare and occur only in case of extreme lack of food. But the tremendous endurance and survival capacity of elephants seems to be an incredible achievement. Powerful legs are needed to travel such distances. Elephant legs have a strange, almost prehistoric shape. At first glance, it seems that their legs are not adapted to keep these huge creatures in an upright position. However, as they cover long distances, elephants move almost silently despite their weight. This is possible due to the soft cartilage lining on the legs of these giants. Due to this anatomical feature, elephant legs become unique and are ideal for long daily trips. This soft fat pad covers the bones of the elephant's feet and fills the space between their toes. It helps distribute weight during walking, prevents slipping, and mutes the sound of steps. Thanks to this pad on their feet, elephants actually walk on their tiptoes. Inside the cartilage lining, there are hidden toes that also help to offset the pressure on the bones of those legs. If you look closely at the elephant legs that resemble stumps, you'll notice there are five toes attached to them, on which there are even nails. Large, wide, and rounded nails on elephants' feet are braided during long walks. They consist of very thick keratin. It's a solid, but at the same time, very flexible protein. Despite their enormous weight and size, elephants actually move quite fast. These African elephants are able to travel at a speed of 40 kilometers per mile. At the same time, elephants always keep at least one foot on the ground. They need this to stabilize those huge, heavy bodies. When running, the elephant's steps resemble a fast walk. Because of this, researchers argue whether elephants can technically run at all. Elephants are called mega gardeners and environmental engineers. They spread seeds and prevent areas of the soil from being overgrown with shrubs. Elephants, because they travel long distances, spread the seeds of trees such as acacias, marulas, and baobabs. The seeds pass through the digestive tract and might end up in a pile of elephant dung many kilometers away. This natural plant transplantation has a positive effect on biodiversity. Trees knocked down by elephants are also food and habitat for small animals, like rodents. There are 415,000 elephants in Africa. One elephant creates more than 40 tons of dung in a year. Elephant droppings are the most widely used in the world. Elephant excrement consists mainly of fiber because elephants digest only half the food they consume. 55% of the plants they eat travel unharmed through their digestive system. When researchers found that almost half of elephant dung consisted of readily available cellulose, they concluded it could be used to make paper. Fibers from the dung are pressed into cellulose, similar to the one of A regular elephant can produce enough dung for 115 sheets of paper per day. Such paper differs in texture from conventional paper. However, since it prevents the destruction of forests, such an idea is a great invention for preserving the environment. Elephants are also a source of biogas because of their herbivorous diet and the enormous amount of dung they empty each day. Their excrement can provide energy to produce gas, light, or heat. Scientists have calculated the amount of methane that elephants emit in a day would be enough to drive a car 32 kilometers. As we see, elephants not only play the role of mega gardeners for the environment, but can also help humans solve environmental issues. Despite this, poaching remains a major problem for the elephant population. Each year across Africa, poachers kill 35,000 of these giants purely for their tusks. They then illegally sell it and make small things out of it like jewelry. This trade is mainly driven by demand for ivory in some parts of Asia. Despite the ban on international trade in ivory, which began in 1989, African elephants are still being killed in large numbers. Massive tusks on both sides of the trunk are actually giant teeth that protrude far beyond the mouths of elephants. Like human teeth and the teeth of many animals, elephant tusks have deep roots. Much of the tusk consists of hard bone called dentin wrapped in enamel. This ivory is at the same time beautiful and decorates elephants, but it's important for their survival and the survival of their species. From a chemical point of view, there is no difference between a tooth and a tusk, but ivory is still the main business that contributes to the illegal killing of elephants. Instead, the value of the tusk is most reduced to cultural status and scarcity. The difficulty of hunting an elephant in ancient times and the fact that these giants are found in relatively limited geographical density meant that ivory products were assets worth appreciating. And the fact that ivory is easy to make souvenirs from has turned it into a valuable exotic commodity around the world. As a result of the evolutionary pressure of poaching, elephants have evolved and more and more elephants are being born without tusks. The rare genetic mutation that caused the absence of tusks has become common in some groups of African elephants. In the 1970s and through the 1990s, elephants with tusks were hunted in Africa, while elephants without tusks were left alone. This led elephants to pass on to their descendants the genes for the absence of tusks. Researchers believe this feature is a protective mechanism that can protect elephants from excessive ivory poaching. Negative human intervention in nature literally changes the anatomy and genetics of animals. Mutations of one or more genes protects elephants from poaching, but at the same time, it makes them more valuable to a variety of hazards. Although elephants don't necessarily need tusks to survive, they become much weaker without them. Tusks develop from the teeth which gave the elephants as a species an evolutionary advantage. The tusks serve many different purposes, helping elephants to dig wells, pick up objects, tear bark off of trees, or defend themselves. The tusks also protect the trunk. Just as humans are left-handed or right-handed, elephants also have a dominant left or right tusk. It's usually more worn from frequent use. Elephant calves lose their first set of tusks one year after birth, as do babies who lose their first teeth. When elephants turn two years old, they begin to grow tusks, which begin to increase in size until the elephant is fully grown. Male elephants have larger tusks, which they often use to intimidate male competitors during the mating season or to move loads from one place to another. Elephants also show a rare ability to create their own tools, and tusks play a crucial role in that process. Elephants use branches to swat away flies and fan themselves from the heat, and using tusks, they rip and adjust the size of the branches. That is, the elephant manages to make tusks much more valuable due to its impressive intelligence. The tusks of old dead elephants are rarely found. That's why it used to be thought that elephants go to a mysterious place to die. Some have even tried to find a mythical elephant graveyard. However, in the last century, scientists have dispelled this myth. Because elephants are one of the largest animals on the planet, we can assume that their teeth are also quite large. However, if you look at them, you won't be able to see their teeth, except for the massive tusks. At first glance, the giants appear to be toothless. The main factor determining the shape, number, and size of animal teeth is their diet. Flat teeth are best for grinding plant food, whereas sharp teeth, in particular the canines, are designed to consume meat. Elephants are completely herbivorous, except for occasional insects or bird eggs, which they can inadvertently swallow by eating a large amount of plant matter. That's why elephants only have flat molars. However, these teeth are huge and in the shape of a diamond, each about the size of a brick weighing one to two kilos. Elephant teeth wear out due to the mastication of huge amounts of leaves, grass, fruits, and branches that elephants have to eat in order to maintain their energy levels. As a result, new teeth grow to replace old teeth. Every time an elephant tooth wears out or falls out, a new tooth grows and replaces it. Due to this process, elephants can change approximately 150 teeth in one lifetime. At the same time, tooth loss is the main cause of death for elephants over the age of 60. Without molars, elephants cannot properly chew food, so this leads to their death by starvation. Elephants lead a predominantly daytime lifestyle, meaning they usually do not sleep during the day. However, their sleep schedule depends on the environment. The sleep of African elephants is divided into several small sessions. They spend about 18 hours a day looking for food in the savanna, but at the same time they can sleep while standing for a while, anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Elephants usually sleep from 1 o'clock to 6 o'clock in the morning. In case of need, they can sleep as little as three hours a day. Why these animals have such an unusual sleep schedule is still a mystery to experts, but researchers have a general hypothesis that partly explains this. Since elephants need a lot of time to find food, they simply can't rest for long periods. Elephants can sleep while standing to remain safe from predators. It's unlikely that elephants have detailed dreams. Although most animals and birds may have colored dreams, elephants just don't have enough time for that. With their challenging schedule driven by constant movement and searching for food, it's just not conducive to dreamy dreams and fantasies. In humans, vivid dreams begin in the REM sleep stage, when we sleep for at least 90 minutes. But since elephants don't sleep long, they don't have enough time to immerse themselves in the REM sleep phase. Recent studies show that the matriarch African elephant spend only two hours sleeping at night, and several hours in the afternoon with short breaks of 15 to 30 minutes, and even less if they feel insecure. A matriarch can spend up to two days without sleep if she needs to keep her herd away from dangers such as poachers or predators. Elephants are not like any other animal on the planet. No other creature can boast of such a long flexible trunk, large ears, and powerful legs. Their stature has mesmerized people throughout the ages, who attributed supernatural abilities to these giants. Prehistoric North Africans depicted elephants in Paleolithic era rock drawings. In African cultures, the elephant is a symbol of strength and power. He's honored for his endurance, mental ability, spirit of cooperation, and loyalty. These great intelligent mammals have served man for both peaceful and military purposes since ancient times. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote about elephants that these amazing creatures surpass other animals in wit and intelligence. Elephants are capable of feelings and emotions similar to human ones. They are wise and graceful, thick-skinned, but at the same time tender. The power and charisma of these animals.