If early childhood, we were not familiar with elephants, maybe we would have taken for the fantastic creatures of these giant animals.Do you know anything else that mammals can eat with the help of his nose, uprooting trees by the roots and even levitate people?The additional fact that during the life of elephants several times updated molars altogether would cause doubt and surprise.
Today, it can be argued that much of what is written in old books about elephants or extant in ancient legends, at odds with reality.Of course, these animals never lived to a hundred years, never fought with dragons.But as mammals of old who had contact with the man and uniquely adapted to living conditions, elephants are extremely interesting.For example, many people want to know what to eat these giants, and amazed that such huge animals - true vegetarians.The article describe in detail what the elephants eat, how much to eat food and how it is produced.
Diet
Everyone knows that at the moment there are two types of elephants - Indian and African.They do not like each other, it is possible to treat them as members of different genera.That diet of animals depends on the region's habitat.For example, elephants living in southern India, like to chew the leaves of ficus, and those that live in Zimbabwe prefer to eat grass like a cattail and papyrus.What feed the elephants, also depends on the season: in rain and drought diet will be different.
Power captive
And what elephants eat in the zoo?Here, they get a huge number of herbs and hay.The daily ration still consists of roots, a few stale rolls, carrots, cabbages, apples.Favorite treat elephants - is, of course, bananas.Pastries and bread are popular, too.How proboscidians like candy!No less than men.And just as a man, elephant risks overeat sweet and plump, so that there are problems with health.Animal behavior becomes unnatural: it goes staggered along the fence and just waiting for the next visitors will bring a welcome treat.
elephants living in the wild, a lot of moving.In search of the amount of food, which is enough for good health, the mammals travel long distances on a daily basis.The zoo animals are not able to move as significant and as a result they have problems with digestion.Elephants feed five to six times a day, sometimes fruits and vegetables are cut and mixed with hay, throw on the aviary.This is done in order to take Proboscidea searches tasty bits and thus, firstly, to reduce the rate of absorption of food, and secondly, to entertain.
What eats elephant in the day
daily adult animal consumes about 250 kilograms of food and 100-150 liters of fluid.For clarity, we explain that elephants eat in the Moscow zoo.A large share of their daily diet are collected twigs tree branches.The most common use of willow branches, and one day the elephant consumes an average of forty-willow twigs (about six to eight kilograms).Daily Khobotnev also put on thirty kilos of grass and hay, as well as a supplement - a few pounds of straw.Cereal part of the menu make oats (one to two kilograms), oatmeal (four to five kilograms), bran (one kilogram), bread (several kilograms).From succulent forage for Elephants put fruit: pears, apples, bananas (eight kilograms).And vegetables: carrots (fifteen kilograms), cabbages (three kilograms), beets (four to five pounds).In summer, the menu include watermelons.It is noteworthy that the cabbage and watermelon eating mammals not entirely, but first put on the floor and lightly crushed foot.Animals consume as potatoes, but only boiled, and sometimes they even give a little bow.Here, perhaps, and the entire list of what feed the elephants in a zoo.
Features food in the wild
Males consume per day to 170 kg of fresh plants, the female is satisfied with about 150 kilograms.Usually proboscidians prefer the vegetation, which is located at an altitude of no more than two meters.Above the elephant trunk will be pulled only when a treat is really worthwhile, if necessary, it can stand up on its hind legs.Often young males just for fun felled small trees.
As we have said, is that eating elephants in Africa, and in India, varies considerably.For example, a savannah Proboscidea from Uganda to 88 percent of the daily diet of grass and Indian mammals consume mainly leaves, though tasty tubers and roots pampered also not averse.The plant usually elephant uproots, or on foot tusk shakes the ground and sends a treat in his mouth.
process of absorption of food
The fact that the elephants eat, we are told, and now want to talk about how they do it.Rigid pulverized food animals only four teeth.In Proboscidea solid edges on the teeth enamel arranged transversely so they move the lower jaw forward and back, but not from side to side, such as cows.Parts of plants or wood elephants chew carefully enough to absorb nutrients for maximum benefit.The intestines of animals has a length of about 35 meters, but it is much shorter than that of the cattle.Therefore proboscidians learn whether any food, and wood and even more so.About half eaten per day remains undigested.
The elephants eat in case of lack of food?They ripped off the trees, absorbing the bark than inflict a lot of damage, and make it impossible in these places reforestation man.But it did not help, animals just do not have a choice, and if trees are spared, then die themselves.But due to what the African elephant eats, or rather, how it does it, it is possible to save and distribute many types of plants.The fact that the shroud was transferred proboscidians eaten the seeds in place with a good amount of light, where they receive excellent conditions for germination.Experts estimate that if not for the elephants in Africa would have disappeared, 36 species of plants.
demand for liquid
Khobotnev a lot of drinking (as already mentioned, to 150 liters daily).If, during the drought are drying up all the available sources of water, the animals go in search of life-giving water.Trunk and tusks in the dry riverbeds of the pit they dig up to a meter deep, which slowly drains groundwater.Other inhabitants of the savannah, can not in such a way to produce the drink, patiently waiting for the elephants quench thirst, and drink plenty after themselves.Thus, proboscidians help them survive the drought.However, it also happens that the efforts to find water do not bring the desired result, and then hundreds, and even thousands of animals die from dehydration.
Chasing food
Few know that elephants eat for 17-19 hours a day.So much time it takes to satisfy the demand for food.In the tropics, where the days are shorter than ours, Khobotnev for nutrition even have to use a few hours at night.Day wait out the heat of the animals in the water or in the shade, so as not to overheat and thus lose precious time that could be spent on a meal.The drought elephants every day to cross large distances between watering and grazing;They are constantly moving around the area.
In conclusion
Adults Proboscidea no enemies other than humans.The biggest danger for them is narrowing habitats.Every day, the animals need a lot of food, and therefore need a large area and on which it would be possible to feed themselves.But these lands are needed and people.Therefore, the elephants now live mostly in the reserves.
