ELEPHANT CLASSIFICATION

 

Derivation of scientific name Proboscidea derived from the Greek word proboscis meaning ‘before the mouth’, referring to the trunk of the elephant. Loxodonta from the Greek words loxo, meaning oblique-sided, and donta, meaning tooth.

Through the ages, the African elephant has captured the imaginations of people across the globe. No species has received more attention than the elephant. Not only is it the largest land animal, but its intelligence, extraordinary communication, similar lifespan to humans, strong sense of family and its uncanny ability to understand death have fascinated philosophers, poets, scientists and the general public alike.

The skin of the elephant can be as thick as 2.5 cm or more on some parts of the body such as on parts of the head and on the back, while it is paper thin in other areas such as the back of the ears and around the mouth. Young elephants are covered in brownish to reddish hairs, especially on their backs and head. As the elephant grows older the amount of hair reduces. The eyes of the elephant are small and are protected with long eyelashes.

Large ears function as heat radiators. Numerous blood vessels can be seen on the back (medial) sides of the ears where the skin is approximately 1–2 mm thick. These blood vessels allow for dissipation of heat by means of ear flapping on warm days when there is little or no wind. Gaps, holes and tears on the edges of the ears are one of the easier ways to distinguish between individual elephants and are often used in behavioural research studies to identify individuals.

The two incisor teeth of the elephant are modified into very prominent tusks protruding from the upper jaw. Tusks are indispensable, multipurpose instruments, which the elephant uses to dig for water, salt and roots, to debark trees, as levers to manoeuvre felled branches and trees, as a weapon for defence and as protection for the trunk. Elephant ivory has a unique engine-turned or diamond pattern when looked at in cross section.

The trunk of the elephant is a prehensile appendix and is often described as the elephant’s hand. It is a fusion of the nose and upper lip and has no bones or cartilage. In principle the trunk is a long cone operated by two major sets of muscles with a pair of two long, wide nasal tubes running down the middle. It has amazing strength, delicacy and versatility. The trunk is used to perform functions such as feeding, watering, dusting, smelling, touching, communicating and lifting, and also for defence.

An adult elephant can hold more than 8 litres of water in its trunk and uses the trunk to drink water and spray water, dust or mud all over its body as a means to cool down. Elephants are capable of picking a small feather of the ground with their trunk, without damaging the feather.