Content
- the elephant's life expectancy
- Factors that reduce elephant life expectancy
- Curious facts about the life of elephants
Elephants or elephants are mammals classified in the order Proboscidea, although they were formerly classified in the Pachyderms. They are the biggest land animals that exist today, known to be very intelligent. Two genera are currently known, we are talking about African elephants and Asian elephants.
these animals live a long time, largely because they have no natural predators. However, unlike what happens with other animal species, in captivity they reduce their lifespan to just over half, which is a little worrying for the species' conservation.
In this article by Animal Expert you will be able to find out how long does an elephant live, as well as several risk factors that reduce the life expectancy of these majestic animals.
the elephant's life expectancy
You elephants are animals that live for many years, in their natural habitat can live for an average of 40 to 60 years. Evidence has even been found to suggest that some specimens in Kenya may have lived up to 90 years old.
The longevity that elephants can have are variables that change depending on the country where the animal lives and the environment in which it is found, as with any other animal. These animals have no natural enemies, with the exception of man, which in some cases makes the elephant's life expectancy drop to 35 years on average.
One of the things that worries the protection centers of this species is that in captivity elephants reduce their life expectancy too much. As long as elephants live in normal conditions and deprived of their wildlife, they are 19 to 20 years old deity. All this happens unlike most species that, in captivity, tend to increase their average life expectancy.
Factors that reduce elephant life expectancy
One of the biggest factors preventing these majestic animals from living up to 50 years of age is The man. Excessive hunting, thanks to the ivory trade, is one of the main enemies of elephants, which greatly reduces the life expectancy of these animals.
Another fact that prevents a longer life for the elephant is that from the age of 40 its teeth wear out, which prevents them from eating normally and therefore they end up dying. Once they use their last teeth, death is inevitable.
In addition there are other health factors that prevent the elephant from living longer, for example arthritis and vascular problems, both factors related to its size and weight. In captivity, life expectancy is reduced by more than half, thanks to stress, lack of exercise and extreme obesity.
Curious facts about the life of elephants
- Young elephants that give birth before age 19 double their chances of living longer.
- When elephants are very old and are about to die, they look for a pool of water to stay there until their heart stops beating.
- The documented case of older elephant of the story was that of Lin Wang, an elephant used by the Chinese Expeditionary Forces. In captivity, this animal surprisingly arrived at 86 years old.
Did you know that the elephant is one of the big five in Africa?
We also recommend that you check out the following articles on elephants:
- how much does an elephant weigh
- elephant feeding
- How long does an elephant's gestation last