Thunder Cave

African Elephants

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Elephants in Thunder Cave

In the book Thunder Cave there were elephants in the story. Jacob, the main character, had a dad that studied elephants in Kenya, Africa.

Jacob goes to Kenya to find his father. During the story, Jacob and his father help save

some elephants from poachers. The poachers illegally kill elephants and take the

ivory from the tusks. Once they have the ivory they sell it for big money.

What do African Elephants Eat?

• African Elephants are Herbivores

• They eat:

Large Amounts of Leaves,

Grass, Tree Bark

• Elephants consume 495 pounds of food per day

• They spend 22 hours a day eating

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Elephant Ears

The African Elephants hearing is very poor. The ears are large fan-shaped. The elephant ear is used to aid ventilation. Also, the softest part of its body is in the back of the ear. That area is called the “knuckle”.

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Teeth

Four Teeth which are molars. Every four years the teeth fall out and then they are replaced by new

ones. The teeth can grow up to 10 inches long.

TRUNK AND EYES

• The trunk of an African Elephant is almost hairless, long, and flexible. The tip of the trunk is called “two fingers”. The elephants breathe and feel with their mouths.

• Their eyes are small and eyesight is poor.

Tusks

Tusks are long horn-like parts that come outside of the elephants mouth. The tusks grow 7 inches a year. They can grow up to 22 inches long

Facts

Adult Male- Bull

Adult Female- Cow

Baby- Calf

Average African Elephant

Weight: 15,400 pounds Size: 10-13 feet tall

Facts of African Elephants

• Largest of all land mammals• Walk 4 mph• Swim long distances• Life Span is up to 70 years• Sounds they make are called grunts,

purrs, bellows, whistles, and trumpeting• They have the largest brains in the

animal kingdom

Facts

• Collective name for a group of elephants is a “herd”

• African elephants live in units led by an older Matriarch

• Males leave the herd between the ages 12 and 15 years old

• Endangered species

Resources

• www.facts-about.org.uk/animals-elephants.htm

• http://essortment.com/all/kidsfactseleph-rsdg.htm