elephant-facts

The Gentle Giant: 10 Ele-Phantastic Elephant Facts for Kids

If the Lion is the King of the Jungle, the Elephant could well be the Emperor!

Be it on television or in real life, there’s just something about the sight of this Gentle Giant, that leaves little children spellbound.

In this blog post from the Eurokids stable, we have compiled the best Elephant Information for Kids, to help them understand these magnificent animals better. Our list of 10 Amazing Facts of Elephants for Kids, is sure to leave even the like of ‘you’ enthralled.

Want to know something about the Elephant you didn’t know already? Delve right into our list of Elephant Facts for Kids, and uncover some cool information About the Elephant for Kids, you probably didn’t know already!

Table of Contents

10 Amazing Facts about Elephants: Ele-Phantasttc Elephant Facts for Kids

Searching for Elephant Information for Kids that’s a cut above the rest? Presenting some pretty amazing information About the Elephant for Kids!

  1. They are Vegans!
  2. Yes indeed, that ‘Vegan’ trend began long ago, before it became the rage amongst humans!

    Cool Fact: The elephant is a ‘herbivore’, which means that its staple diet is primarily composed of foods like grass, leaves and roots. Also, did you know that elephants spend a whopping 80 percent of their days ‘eating’? That’s not all. They are known to eat around 160 kg of food a day!

    Bonus Fact: Bananas make for a perfect ‘treat’ for Elephants!

  3. They don’t forget anything
  4. You’ve probably heard of the Elephant’s superior memory capabilities, right?

    Cool Fact: The Elephant is known to have the best Memory in the Animal Kingdom. They have the uncanny knack to remember locations, individuals and events in their lives. This is a factor that goes a long way towards ensuring their survival in the wild.

    Bonus Fact: The depth of an elephant’s memory is further witnessed, via the kind of ‘grieving’ an elephant shows for a member of the herd that has passed away.

  5. They are the Largest Land Animal in the world
  6. No wonder other animals are overwhelmed at the sight of this magnificent creature!

    Cool Fact: It is specifically the ‘African Savanna’ Elephant, that is the largest animal on Earth!

    Bonus Fact: The adult male elephant can weigh up to 6000 kg and grow up to 3 meters tall. Even a ‘baby’ elephant can weigh around 120 kg!

  7. There are 3 different species of Elephants
    • African Bush Elephant
    • These are the larger species of elephants that are characterized by the ‘outward curving’ of their tusks.

    • African Forest Elephant
    • These have large ears, shaped like the continent of ‘Africa’!

    • Asian Elephant
    • These are characterized by smaller, rounder ears.

  8. They Communicate through ‘Vibrations’ via their Feet!
  9. Bet that was something you didn’t know earlier, right?

    Cool Fact: Elephants use their vocal cords to emit low-frequency sounds that travel under the ground. These low-frequency sounds are heard by other elephants out there, via the use of their ‘feet’!

  10. They love to Swim
  11. This interesting tidbit of information will surely leave kids delighted!

    Cool Fact: If you were wondering how an animal so large can swim, it’s on account of their ‘buoyant lungs’, that help keep them afloat!

    Bonus Fact:The elephant actually uses its ‘trunk’ as a ‘snorkel’, to help it breathe air while its body is under water. Further, Elephants are known to use Swimming as a form of ‘play’. They are often found splashing water on each other, using their trunks!

  12. Their Tusks are ‘Teeth’!
  13. Yet another fact, you probably didn’t know already!

    Cool Fact: Those tusks are actually ‘incisor teeth’ that first appear when the elephant is around 2 years of age. Over time, they keep growing larger. They help elephants dig up the roots they eat, and serve as a great defense mechanism when they need to fight.

    Note: It is a sad fact, that it is on account of these very ‘tusks’, that elephants are hunted. That is, for the ‘ivory’ that is a precious object in the marketplace.

  14. They ‘Poop’ a lot!
  15. This one is sure to elicit squeals of laughter from your little ones.

    Cool Fact: All that ‘eating’ elephants indulge in, can only mean one thing: they ‘poop’ a lot! Looking for a figure here? It’s about a tonne of poo a week!

    Bonus Fact: It’s this very ‘elephant poo’ that helps keep the soil fertile and plays a major role in the dispersal of seeds in the soil.

  16. Elephants love a Good Old Mud Spa!
  17. You heard that right. You’ve heard of humans using ‘mud’ treatments in spas, right? Why should elephants not do the same?

    Cool Fact: All that rolling about in mud is a means to get their dose of ‘sunscreen’. That is, the layer of mud that cools them down and protects their skin from harsh Sun Rays.

  18. They are classified as Endangered
  19. Sad but true! The population of elephants is dropping as every day passes!

    Fact: It is believed that the world has lost around 50 percent of the entire Asian Elephant population, in the last 75 years.

    Note: The primary reason for the rapid demise of elephants is because of those illegal ‘poaching’ activities!

We at EuroKids believe it is absolutely crucial that we make our children cognisant of Elephant information. After all, this Gentle Giant they love so much, might not roam Earth someday in the future! Ensure you share the Elephant Facts for Kids outlined in this article with your children, to imbibe in them a newfound sense of respect for this magnificent Gentle Giant we all love!

References

  1. Global Sanctuary for Elephants
  2. https://globalelpehants.org/the-basics/

  3. International Elephant Foundation
  4. https://elephantconservation.org/about-elephants/25-things-to-know/