What does the elephant eat?

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 19 February 2021
Update Date: 13 November 2024
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What Do Elephants Eat?
Video: What Do Elephants Eat?

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the elephants are the largest mammals that exist on dry land. Their great size and beauty aroused admiration in all human civilizations that knew them. Throughout history, they have been used to transport objects and even to fight wars. They were later captured in the wild to be exhibited in zoos and circuses, as well as for sightseeing with tourists visiting South Asia.

However, very few people know that these animals have a intelligence very similar to ours, and are capable of developing all the emotions known to human beings. However, this has not diminished hunting for ivory, which is its biggest threat today. Do you want to know more about these interesting animals? Don't miss this PeritoAnimal article about what the elephant eats, in which we will tell you many other curiosities.


Elephant Characteristics

Elephants (Elephantidae) are a family of mammals belonging to the order Proboscidea. They are characterized by their large size and longevity, with a life expectancy of around 80 years. One of the main characteristics of elephants is their huge ears, which they tap to regulate their temperature. Although it may seem, they do not fan themselves, but use their ears to get rid of the excess heat accumulated in their body.

Another important feature of elephants is their long, strong nose, better known as their trunk. Thanks to her, these animals have one of the best senses of smell in the animal kingdom. Also, they use their trunk to collect water and spray their bodies with it, as if it were a bath. They also use it to get food and then take it to their mouths. Later, we'll look at exactly what the elephant eats.


Lastly, the most unknown feature of elephants is that they have a very large brain for their size. Furthermore, they are the animals with the largest volume of cerebral cortex and their hippocampus is one of the largest in the world. This gives them a great cognitive and emotional capacity. In fact, it is believed that their intelligence is very similar to ours, as well as their empathy and their way of socializing.

elephant habitat

Its habitat depends on each species. Currently, there are only three species, which live in quite different places. This is the habitat of each of them:

  • savanna elephant (Loxodonta africanus): inhabits the savannas of central and southern Asia. These are transitional ecosystems with little forest and lots of grass.
  • forest elephant(Loxodonta cyclotis): lives in the forests of west-central Africa, where vegetation and fauna are abundant.
  • ANDAsian elephant (Elephas maxim): its population was greatly reduced during the 20th century. Currently, they only live in a few forests in South Asia and are the only elephants in danger of extinction, although African elephants are considered vulnerable.

Elephant feeding

As we mentioned earlier, elephants use their trunks to pick up food from above and on the ground. Also, they can catch them directly in their mouths if the height is moderate. If food is buried in the ground, they first need to dig it up with their feet and fangs, which also help them find water. But what exactly does the elephant eat?


The elephants' diet is based on herbs, roots, leaves and bark of certain trees and shrubs. Therefore, elephants are herbivorous animals. To maintain their enormous body size, they need to eat for about 15 hours a day, and can consume up to 150 kg of plants a day. The specific diet depends on the different types of elephants and, mainly, on the place where they live.

Forest and Asian elephants mainly consume tree leaves and bark. Also, they usually consume a significant amount of fruit. This is a fundamental difference with the savannah elephant, as the availability of fruit in this ecosystem is very limited. Savannah elephant feeding is also very seasonal. During the dry seasons, herbs are scarce, so they primarily feed on shrubs and acacia trees.

The use of the trunk in elephant feeding

The elephant's trunk is not just for drinking water. In fact, this part of the elephant's body is very important for it to get its food.

Its large size and musculature allow this animal to use its trunk as if it were a hand and, in this way, pick up leaves and fruits from the highest branches of trees. Elephants are very intelligent creatures and the way they use the trunk is good proof of that.

When they are unable to reach some branches, they can shake the trees so that their leaves and fruit fall to the ground. In this way, they also make it easier for the puppies to obtain food. We must not forget that elephants always travel in a herd.

As if that wasn't enough, elephants are able to cut down a tree to eat its leaves. Finally, they can even eat the bark of the most woody part of certain plants if they are hungry and cannot find other food.

Do elephants eat peanuts?

Peanuts are a legume originating in South America. elephants don't eat peanuts in its natural state. However, during their exhibition in zoos and circuses, spectators often feed them peanuts. Due to their large amount of fat, they are very appetizing fruits for elephants, although their consumption in excess is not healthy.

Elephant Curiosities

Now that we know what elephants eat, you certainly keep asking yourself a lot of questions. For this reason, we've put together some interesting aspects of their biology and behavior. here are some fun facts about the elephant.

How much do elephants weigh?

When born, the average weight of an elephant is around 90 kg. As it develops, its size increases a lot, reaching 5,000 to 6,000 kg in weight. The biggest elephants are those of the savanna, which can reach up to 4 meters in height.

How do elephants move?

Elephants are very fast animals that easily reach 25 kilometers per hour. Not because they are good runners, but because of their large size. In fact, they don't run as we might imagine, but run with the front legs and walk on their hind legs. This allows them to use their energy very efficiently.

How do elephants live?

Elephants form herds of about 15 to 20 members, with the exception of forest elephants, whose groups are generally somewhat smaller. These herds are matriarchies ruled by the older female, and have virtually no males. In fact, males only stay in the group until they reach sexual maturity. When the time comes, they separate from the herd and live alone, although some may form groups with other males.

Like humans, elephants are gregarious animals, that is, social, that establish very strong bonds with the members of your herd. In fact, behaviors such as grieving after the loss of a loved one and the adoption of orphaned babies have been recorded. It is also very common for different herds to get together to socialize while bathing.

How are elephants born?

The gestation of elephants lasts 22 months, in other words, almost 2 years. However, they take very little time to give birth. In each birth, a single calf is born measuring about 1 meter tall. At this point, he becomes another member of the herd, in which everyone is in charge of protecting him from possible predators.

The little elephant will spend a year hiding under its mother's long legs while it suckles. After that, begin to supplement your diet with leaves and the softest parts of plants. However, only to 4 years of age he will stop drinking milk and will start to become more independent.

If you want to read more articles similar to What does the elephant eat?, we recommend that you enter our Balanced Diets section.