Elephants are one of the most beautiful and majestic animals that grace the lands of this planet. Their babies are also off the scale cute!
With their sweetness and friendly demeanour, these enormous newborns have captured the hearts of millions of people around the world, especially on social media.
In this article we celebrate all the wonderful and amazing facts about baby elephants.
There is just so much you can learn about this animal that it’s hard to just limit this post to just 10 facts.
Below we have collated a group of facts and images that shows the true essence and wonder of this incredible animal.
#1 – Baby Elephants are called calves
The name for baby elephants are called a “calves”. It’s a very popular name for a baby animal. Baby elephants also shares the name with a baby whale, cow, camel, bison, elk, giraffe, gnu, hippopotamus, moose, ox, reindeer, rhinoceros, and yak. I’m sure there are many more we could list. Did you know that a calf is also a huge chunk of ice that breaks off of a glacier or iceberg?
#2 – 99% of all baby elephants are born at night
This is quite a remarkable fact. Nearly all baby elephants are born at night. Labor usually lasts a few days. Elephants prefer to give birth at night because it allows them to do so in a quiet and peaceful environment. The calf can stand within an hour and walk within a few hours.
#3 – The Gestation period of a baby elephant is 18 – 22 months
Elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal on the planet. It takes a long time to bake a baby elephant! From the time of conception to actually giving birth can take between 18 and 22 months! If you thought a human pregnancy drags on, then please spare a thought for a female elephant!
#4 – The Birth weight of a baby elephant is around 250 pounds
Elephants are the largest land animal on the planet, so it’s no surprise that when a baby elephant is born, it packs some weight!! Calves come out into the world weighing around 250 pounds. That’s the weight of a heavyweight boxer like Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury!!
#5 – Baby elephants are around 3 feet tall when born
When calves are born, they come out roughly the same height as a 4 year old child!!! Can you imagine that!!! They stay very close to their mothers for the first 2 to 3 months and are a bit clumsy when it comes to controlling their trunk. They tend to swing it around a lot, get it stuck under their feet and even suck it just like a human baby would suck its thumb. All very very cute!!!
#6 Baby Elephants drink roughly 3 gallons of milk a day.
Calves can drink around 3 gallons of milk a day from their mother. The calves consume their mother’s milk for roughly two years, and occasionally even longer.
They start eating plants around the age of four months, much like adult elephants, although they still require the same amount of milk from their mother. It is known for elephants to carry on drinking milk for up to ten years. I feel so sorry for the poor mothers!
#7 Calves are born with an unusual hairstyle
Yes it’s true! Believe it or not, calves (baby elephants) are born with curly black or red hair on their foreheads! How strange is that??!!
#8 Baby Elephants Lose Their Tusks
Just like children lose their milk teeth, baby elephants lose their tusks in the same way. They lose their initial set of tusks after roughly a year. When elephants reach the age of two, their adult tusks begin to grow, and they continue to grow until the elephant is completely grown.
I’d imagine an elephant tooth fairy would be a lot larger than our human equivalent.
#9 Baby Elephants Are Born Blind
Despite having nearly two years of growing and development in the warm and safe surroundings of their mother’s womb, an elephant calf is born practically blind. They have very little vision available to them and rely greatly on their mothers for guidance in the early stages.
#10 When Elephants Are Born, Their Brains Are Nearly Fully Developed
It’s quite remarkable to think that a baby animal could be born with an almost fully developed brain. After nearly two years of development in their mother’s womb, elephants are born with a highly developed brain, which they employ to recognise the herd’s intricate social structure and to feed themselves using their dextrous trunks.
FAQs About Baby Elephants
How much do baby elephants weigh?
Elephants are the largest land animal in the world, so it’s no surprise that their babies weigh quite a lot when they are first born. Baby elephants can weigh anything between 200 and 300 pounds.
What color eyes do baby elephants have?
Like humans, elephants have wonderful eyes in a variety of colors. Dark brown, light brown, honey, and grey are the most prevalent eye hues. It’s also common to see a variety of eye colors in elephants such as blue-gray, gold, green, and yellow. Elephants with contrasting color right and left eyes are quite rare.
What is a baby elephant called?
A baby elephant is called a calf. A group of baby elephants are called calves.
Are elephants color blind?
Elephants are colorblind, to be sure.
Elephants are dichromic during the day, which means they have two types of color sensors in their retina. There are two types of cones: one for red and one for green. Elephants can see in the same way as colorblind people can. Blues and yellows are visible to them, but they are unable to distinguish between reds and greens.
Can baby elephants jump?
Strangely enough, elephants can’t jump. It’s not known why baby elephants or adult elephants can’t jump. In fact when they walk or run, they have to have at least one foot firmly on the ground.
Can baby elephants run?
Yes baby elephants can run.
Where do baby elephants live?
Baby elephants are most commonly found in the savanna or grasslands. They also like living in wooded areas, swampy terrains, and other locations with their herd. They love hot temperatures and in regions with abundance of foliage, berries, and grass to eat.