Elephants are vegetarians and eat about 300 kg foliage and other greens daily. If a tree is too high, they might crack it or tear it out. They drink around 200 litres of water daily. The gestation of the cows takes 22 months. The calves live on mother's milk for about 4 years. Although elephants are basically peaceful animals, mother cows can become highly dangerous when they feel their calves are threatened.
Elephants in the
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is home to some 8000 African elephants. These massive animals are up to four metres high and weigh up to six tons. Their heart alone weighs 25 kg. That makes them the biggest land mammals on earth.
Elephants live in family groups of between 6 and 200 animals. Leader of the herd is always a female. Young bulls are excluded from the herd at the age of 12 to 15 years when they reach sexual maturity. Then they join small "bachelor herds".
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