Elephants
Elephants are the largest of all land mammals and can weigh up to 13,200 pounds. Elephant tusks are extensions of the upper lip containing the nostrils and two finger-like projections for handling small objects. Unlike humans who have five fingers on each hand and foot, elephants have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each hind foot. They can feed from ground level up to 20 feet higher than a giraffe!
The Riverbanks Zoo elephants, Belle, Penny, and Tumpe, are all females. They eat a delicious diet of specially mixed elephant chow plus assorted vegetables, fruits and up to two bales of alfalfa and coastal grass hay per day. Elephants can feed up to 16 hours a day and sleep (standing up) for about five hours.
RANGE: Africa, south of the Sahara.
HABITAT: Elephants are native to a wide variety of habitats including semi-deserts, open savannas and dense forest regions.
LIFE EXPECTANCY: Average life expectancy in captivity and in the wild is about 45 years.
BEHAVIOR: Elephants live in a matriarchal society consisting of a mother with her offspring and her daughter with their offspring. Adult males live separately, either alone or in a bachelor herd.
DIET: In the wild, elephants eat grass, bark, leaves, and shrubs. In captivity, the Riverbanks Zoo elephants eat a special mixed elephant chow along with hay, fruits, and vegetables.