Probably you have heard of the Asian elephants if you are a regular reader of our blog. But today we will be talking about the Sri-Lankan elephants, which is a subspecies of Asian Elephants. Though all the subspecies of Asian elephants are very popular but the Sri Lanka elephant deserves a special mention because it is the largest of the other subspecies of Asian elephants. However, the Sri Lankan elephant facts are not only confined to these one or two words. Let us know something more interesting about them.

Amazing Pictures which Explains the Life of Sri Lanka Elephants:

Appearance:

Though if you study, you will find that Asian elephants and smaller than the African elephants but among all the sub-species of the Asian elephant, the size of the Sri-Lankan elephant is relatively higher. Not only the Sri Lankan elephants are the largest of all the Asian elephant subspecies but it is also the darkest of all. You will find de-pigmentation in some of the areas of their body where there is no color like the ears, face, trunk and belly. The female elephants are smaller than the males and their highest body point is their head. The spine of the Sri-Lankan elephant is also a bit curved than the African elephants.

Diet:

Actually, the diet of every elephant species is very interesting to hear because of the quantity. But in this case, you should know that the Sri-Lankan elephant doesn’t have a very efficient digestive system. They take a very long time to digest their food and most of the time 45 % of the total food they consume is passed out as undigested food. But how do they survive in this way? Yes, they spend most of their time in a day to consume food. If you see them, you will find that most of the time, they are looking for food and water. They are mainly herbivores and consume about 100-150 kilograms of food and 20-40 gallons of water every day. Their daily diet includes grasses, fruits, and juicy leaves.

Reproduction:

Are you finding all these information very interesting? There are more interesting facts to know about them. If you have some basic knowledge about the elephants, you probably know that elephants have one of the longest gestation periods in the animal kingdom. The total gestation period is about 18-20 months. Therefore, when a baby elephant is born, it weighs about 75-115 kilograms. The measurement of their shoulder during their birth is about 100cms. An elephant reaches their ability to reproduce when they are about 8-14 years of age and it completely differs with different habitats. Normally these elephants conceive at a time gap of 4-6 years and in total give birth to about 6-7 offspring in a lifetime.

Migration:

Depending on the weather, the Sri Lankan elephants also migrate to different destinations of their likings. This migration mainly takes place during the monsoon. At this time, the eldest member of the herd will guide all the other elephants through the route and they are so intelligent that they can remember all the routes through the wild. They are seen to migrate in places, which falls between the wet and dry zone of Sri Lanka. During this migration, many crops are destroyed all over as they move through the paddy fields.

Social Facts:

The Sri Lankan elephants in a herd normally stand for each other in any danger and have a great emotion for each and every member of the herd. Usually, whenever they do something, they do it in a group and they have a great unity.

General Facts:

Sri Lanka has the largest density of elephants in Asia. Due to the large population of elephants in Sri Lanka, it affects the rural lives and destroys their crops. This is one of the main factors of human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka. But nowadays, various different security measures have been taken to protect both the elephants and humans.

At present, this beautiful animal is facing a great danger and it is considered that the Sri Lankan elephant is becoming extinct due to a variety of conditions. Actually, this is happening just because of the habitat loss in the form of deforestation and hunting. You have seen some of the beautiful images of them and learned about some amazing facts. So now, you should see them with your own eyes.