Well last week I had the chance to visit Wild Elephant Valley, in Sanchache Nature Reserve. There is a group of about 30 elephants living in the reserve, in addition to some living in a captivity that are used for breeding. The photo above shows the cable car that takes you across the reserve.
Unfortunately there were many tourists in big groups, who were very loud and yelling. This is not how you go outside if you want to see animals. And so the elephants were not around, they must have been out in the forest away from the trails. So I'll take the opportunity to answer your elephant questions!
-How much does a baby elephant weigh (Tayler S.)?
Newborns weigh 90 kg (200 lbs), as much as a large man.
-Why is the Asian elephant different from the American elephant? Why are the ears shorter on the asian elephant (Jennifer)?
By American elephant do you mean the mastodons and wooly mammoths that went extinct about 10,000 years ago? Those animals had much more hair and lived in colder climates than the Asian elephant, which lives in warm tropical regions.
But I think you mean why is the Asian elephant different than an African elephant? They are different because they are separate species that do not naturally interbreed, and they live in different places. So there are different environmental forces causing natural selection among African elephants and Asian elephants. Also, they have different evolutionary histories that may have favored different sized ears in the past for many possible reasons. Some people have hypothesized that Asian elephants have shorter ears because they live farther north than African elephants, in some cooler climates, where there is less benefit to have larger ears.
-What are elephants tusks for (Corrie K.)?
Elephant tusks are used for defense, for digging for food, water and salt, for marking their territory on trees, and for moving things out of their way.
-Is one of the main reasons why elephants are getting extinct is from humans trapping them in zoos (Lindsey M.)?
I have been unable to find an estimate of the number of elephants captured every year for zoos. But most zoo elephants are captured from the wild, which is often a traumatic and dangerous (and sometimes deadly) experience.
-What is the main use for killing the Asian elephants (Michael B.)?
People do it to sell their tusks which are made of ivory, and also to sell their skin and eat their meat. The picture above is a sign from the museum at Wild Elephant Valley.
-Do elephants really have a huge memory (Sonny S.)?
Yes. Here is a possible example of their memory: In a Tanzanian national park there was a bad drought in 1993. Older elephant matriarchs (ruling females) that were at least 35 years old moved their groups outside the park and found water. Their calves survived much better than groups led by younger matriarchs, which stayed in the park and had much higher death rates of their calves (even a group led by a 33 year old female did not leave the park and had high mortality). The older matriarchs were a few years old during the previous bad drought in 1958-1961, and researchers think the older matriarchs remembered this drought and remembered to leave the park when the new bad drought hit.
-How long do Asian Elephants live for (Joseph L., Tania M.)?
Wild Asian elephants can live up to about 60 years.
And while I'm at it, lets talk about another animal with a smaller proboscis, the Malayan Tapir.
-Why does baby tapir have stripes & spots (Daniel C., Riley S., Andy, Mamie F., Angelica C., Ben R., Ana P., Karina C., Zachary G., Donaji D., Irie C.)? Why are they on certain areas of the body (Ben S.)? Does the fur of the baby tapir disappear (Tania M.)?
A lot of people were interested in the stripes and spots on baby Malayan tapirs. No one knows why baby tapirs have spots or why they are on certain areas of the body. Some people have hypothesized that it helps them camouflage themselves. It might have no meaning or purpose at all, it may be a random trait. If you have a mole on your arm, for instance, why is it there? Why not 2 inches to the left? That is probably random to some extent, although certain parts of our bodies get more moles than others.
The baby tapirs eventually shed their spotted coat for a solid colored one, like a dog sheds its fur.
-Who is their predator (Ana P., Irie C.)?
Tigers may rarely kill tapirs, but by far humans kill them more than any other animal.
-Why are tapir noses so long (Tony S., Karla R., Karina C., Erick M., Terrell, Madeline H.)?
Tapirs use their proboscis (nose) to grab leaves, shoots, and fruit and bring it to their mouth. They also hold it close to the ground as they move, probably to smell for food, other tapirs and possible predators. No one knows why they are so long.
-How big do Malayan Tapirs get (Maya C.)? How big are they when they are born (Madeline H.)?
They can get up to 2.4 m (8 feet) long, 1 meter (3.5 feet) tall, and can weigh up to 500 kg (1100 lbs.) Newborns weigh 6.5 kg (14.3 lbs).
-What does Malayan Tapir eat (Milo et al.)
Tapirs eat mostly green leaves, also shoots, and fruit.
-Are tapirs mean?
They are not aggressive. However, like most animals, they will defend themselves when cornered or attacked, and they have killed humans.
-Are there any other species of Tapir (Ian P.)?
Yes, there are 3 tapirs in Latin America: the Mountain tapir, the Lowland tapir, and Baird's tapir.
-How did the Malayan Tapir get all the way to 2,000 remaining in the world (Joe R., Robert P., Khalia N., Angelica C.) Are they endangered because they are being hunted? Or natural causes (Timothy T.)?
Tapirs are endangered for two main reasons: 1) they are hunted extensively for meat and 2) their forest and other natural habitats are being destroyed for human uses.
-Why are Malayan Tapirs supposed to be like horses (Lindsey Mills)?
Tapirs are members of the order Perissodactyla, which is the odd-toed ungulates. Ungulates are the hoofed animals. Horses are also members of Perissodactyla, like rhinoceroses. Elephants are not members of Perissodactyla, and they are only very distantly related to tapirs.
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