Baby elephants are cute but majestic creatures. If you think you know everything about these tiny and adorable animals, you’ll be surprised by other interesting facts about baby elephants. What makes them attractive is that they are smaller than their adult counterparts, but significant in size compared to other animals. If you’ve seen a few videos on baby elephants and are intrigued by them, this article will tell you other interesting facts about them.
8 baby elephant facts
1. Baby elephants are called calves
Yes, just like baby cows. Baby elephants are also called calves, and what people don’t know is that this isn’t uncommon. Other baby animals, like the whale, camel, bison, giraffe, moose, rhinoceros, reindeer, ox, and more, are called calves. The list goes on, but this shows that elephants are familiar with other animals, especially regarding what their babies are called.
2. 99 percent of elephants give birth at night
Only on rare occasions are elephants born during the day. Although a weird fact about elephant births, there is a reason behind most infant elephants being born at night. The primary reason why elephants give birth at night is that they prefer peace when giving birth. Naturally, there is more activity during the day, so the mother elephant prefers the quiet of the night when most animals are asleep.
3. Elephants spend 18 to 22 months in the womb
From the time of conception to the time of birth, an infant elephant spends an intensely long time in its mother’s womb. Baby elephants can sit in their mother’s womb from 18 to 22 months. This is over twice the natural time for a human baby to stay inside the womb. Also, while most human babies are born within nine months, elephants are born anywhere within four months.
4. Elephants weigh about 250 pounds at birth
The baby elephant weighs around 250 pounds from birth, heavier than most adult humans! This is the weight of some famous heavyweight boxers like Tyson Fury. These small elephants can make small infant movements. A tiny elephant’s strength is already enough to handle its weight. However, newborn elephants are still a bit clumsy, and it takes a while before they learn how to walk on their feet.
5. Baby elephants drink about 3 gallons of milk per day
Baby elephants love to drink milk! So much that a small elephant can drink around 3 gallons of milk daily. While this seems like a lot, it’s important to remember that the mother elephants are enormous and carry a lot of milk.
Infant elephants only start eating plants at four months, so before that, mother elephants will have to feed them milk until they can eat solid foods. However, elephants continue to drink milk despite already being capable of eating plants. Elephants usually drink milk up to 10 years old.
6. Baby elephants lose their teeth
Just like human babies, elephants also have milk teeth or tusks. Baby elephants lose their milk teeth as they grow older and initially lose their first tusks after around a year. When an elephant reaches two years old, they start to develop their adult tusks, which grow with them until they become adults.
7. Baby elephants can’t see
Baby elephants are born almost entirely without eyesight. Newborn elephants can barely see and rely mostly on their mothers for guidance. During infancy, mother elephants usually steer their calves and guide them as they learn how to walk. Slowly, the baby elephant gains its eyesight and can finally see colors, figures, shadows, etc.
8. Elephants are born with almost fully developed brains
Baby elephants are intelligent. They are born with almost fully developed brains and high cognitive capabilities, helping them solve problems, understand things, and learn skills. After nearly two years, a young elephant’s brain is already highly developed, allowing them to understand the herd’s social structure and it can feed itself.
In summary
Aside from being adorable giant babies, small elephants are also extremely smart, huge for their age, and develop cognitive abilities fast. So the next time you see a small elephant, try to see how intelligent it is by checking how it holds its food, walks, or what it likes to focus on.
Baby elephants are also very playful; they like to have games with other young elephants and sometimes even try to play with their mothers.
