Elephnats live in all parts of dry zone in Sri Lanka. Few
elephant herds are known to live in wetzone. Usually they stay in the
jungle to shelter them from the heat of the sun. In the morning they
come out to open to eat grass. The best times to watch elephants are
early morning and late afternoons when the sun is not strong.
They use mud to to cover their body against heat. You can see elephants
at tanks, rivers and water holes playing, swiming and drinking water.
They love rain and play in the rain when it rains after a dry season.
Rain mean water which mean fresh grown grass and leaves for their food.
Elephnat rarely live alone. They live in herds like a
large family. Sometimes elephant herds consist over 50 elephants or
more. The grown male elephants usually live alone. They return to herd
during the mating season
knowns as mada kipeema (needing to have sex) from
September to October. Most of the parks are closed for visitors during
this period.
Unlike humans the oldest female elephant is the leader of the herd
guiding the family to places with plenty of food and water as well as
protecting the members of the herd from any danger and make sure that
the baby elephants are properly looked after.
A baby elphant though born to one mother, drinks milk from all female
elephants and all of them take care and protect the baby elephants.
Sometimes the baby elephnat, mother and father elephnat travel together
and considered as dangerours as at times baby elephants follow humans.
This is called "Tunpath Rela". (Herd of There elephants)
Elephants need lots of food to keep them healthy and strong. The grown
elephants eat between 100 to 200 Kilograms of grass or leaves everyday
and need lots of water. Water and Grass supply is a key reason to stay
at one place. They can move about 30 km a day looking for new place with
grass and water.
Their average height (height is measured to the
shoulder)goes to about 8 feet (2.5m) and 1800 Kg in weight. Female
elephants give a birth once in 4 years and 2-3 babies in their life
span. get 4 sets of teeth and every 10 years a new set of teeth is
coming to get the last set when they are about 40 years old. walk about
20 miles per day and young female elephants are reedy for mating when
they are 13 years old.
Elephants are very active in the night and most of them sleep under
large trees in the day time. Some people believe that they have grave
yards and come near to a water resource when they are about to die…some
do not believe it and say ..when they are old their teeth are wasted and
difficulty of consuming heavy branches of trees made them come to a
place where there is grass and water.
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