Meet Ellema the Elephant

 

Ellema the Elephant is learning how to manage the power, problems and usefulness of her large trunk. Due to a peanut allergy, Ellema sneezes often. At first, sneezing was a problem for Ellema. Her uncontrolled big sneezes would scatter objects and make messes. She learns how to control her sneezes and discovers there are times when the forceful expelling of air and water from her trunk can be beneficial. Ellema never forgets her lessons, and her classmates count on her help when they get stuck.

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Fun Facts About Elephants

  • The African elephant is the largest living land mammal. Male elephants grow to be 10 to 13 feet tall at the shoulder and weight more than 7,000 pounds..
  • The average life span of an elephant is 60 to 70 years.
  • An elephant's trunk has more than 40,000 muscles – more than the human body.
  • An elephant's trunk is so strong and agile, it can push down trees or pick up a single blade of grass.
  • When an elephant walks, the legs on one side of the body move forward in unison.
  • The large ears of an African elephant help to control body temperature. On a hot day, an elephant will flap its ears, cooling the blood in the ears which then circulates through the body at a cooler temperature.
  • Both female and male African elephants have tusks but only the male Asian elephants have tusks. They use their tusks for digging for food and stripping bark from trees.
  • Elephants can swim. They use their large trunk to breathe like a snorkel in deep water.
  • Elephants can spend up to 16 hours a day collecting and eating food – grass, leaves, twigs, bark, fruit and roots.
  • An adult elephant can eat up to 300 pounds of food in a single day.
  • Elephants don’t drink through their trunks, but use them as tools to drink with. Elephants such water up into the trunk and then blow the water into their mouths.
  • Elephants are very active. They sleep very little and are constantly on the move in search of food.