Remarkable Elephant Characteristics
The aura that elephants exude goes beyond the fact that they are majestic in size. Elephants gracefully command the wildlife space just by their presence. It is no wonder that when elephants visit a space, it appears the call is an honour. Here are 6 remarkable characteristics regarding these majestic animals.
1. Largest Land Mammal
Elephants are by far the largest living land mammals with three recognized species - the African bush elephant which can weigh more than 6000 kgs, the Asian elephant at 4000kg, and the African forest elephant weighing approximately 2700 kgs.
2. Incredible Strength
Their strength lies in their legs; they can lift nearly three times their weight with the trunk. The trunk, or tusk, of an elephant, is stronger than the body of a man; and is also stronger than the entire weight of the elephant.
3. Razor-sharp Senses
Their ears are said to allow them to hear a sound thousands of miles away. Its sense of smell is twenty times stronger than that of a human and uses this ability to locate prey and warn of danger. They have an acute sense of sight which can spot a person hiding behind a bush in thirty seconds.
4. Gentle Giants
An elephant is known to be a very sociable animal; they will greet visitors and become fond of them. This is one of the reasons why elephants take part in cultural festivities around the globe. Their gentle nature means they are wonderful companions for children. They are one of the few animals to accept new calves. However, just like any other species, one must be careful to anger an elephant or randomly approach into its space.
5. They Never Forget
The memory of an elephant is said to be one of the sharpest. Elephants never forget spaces, people, roads, paths, particular vegetation. They retain sounds and emotions as a part of the memory, which is why it’s humbling to know that elephants enjoy grazing by The Victoria Falls Hotel’s fences.
6. They Use Vibrations to communicate
The most popular theory about how elephants communicate is that they use certain 'sonic' vibrations from their trunk directly to the brain. However, when this was first put forward scientists could not understand how it worked. It is however believed that elephants use a combination of vibrations and frequency changes. This suggests that rather than using the vibrations from their trunk directly, the actual sound waves come from their neck, head, ears, and even their jaws.
You May Be Lucky!
You may just be lucky enough to have this majestic animal visit you when at The Victoria Falls Hotel. It is a sight to soak in and a memory to re-play for eternity.
photo credits Global Wildlife Conservation
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