ALIMENTATION
All elephants are herbivores, which means that they consume only plant life, they will consume it wherever they go.
Due to their large size, they can get food even from the high areas of the trees. They can even use the trunk to reach fruits that grow where other types of animals simply can not reach. They are very intelligent when it comes to getting food, they do not go around leaving food for other animals to go after.
For example, if the food they want is too high, they wrap the trunk around the trunk and shake it quickly, this process usually gives them a lot of food falling from the trees for themselves and their young. If that does not work the elephant can only take the whole tree or the plant and throw it on the ground and then consume it.
One of the biggest problems they face in nature is the lack of available food. Their habitats continue to be smaller and smaller and they have fewer options for food as well as competition in some areas with other elephants for the same food sources.
Elephants can spend up to 16 hours a day looking for food. They do not seem to be in a hurry to find it, and they take their time of grazing. One of the reasons why you have to consume so much daily food is due to their immense bodies. They only process around 40% of what they eat.
The process of digestion for the elephant is very different than that of other animals. It really is not understood why their bodies do not digest more than they consume. They have to consume a lot of water, this is done through the tube. They can consume up to 15 liters of water at a time, although in certain parts of the year it is difficult for them to find that amount of water.
They use their tusks to dig in the ground in order to find the water supplies they need, this water is also used by other animals in the wild. Many people feel that the feeding habits of elephants destroy the environment on a large scale. However, they tend to move often enough not to exhaust all the existing vegetation in a certain area. This movement, in fact, allows more of it to grow.
Unfortunately, as the elephants get older the teeth begin to wear out, due to the type of diet they consume, which is why many of them end up dying of starvation when they get old. It is a slow process and seems to take a toll on the entire herd, due to the strong ties that form in their herds.
 |
|
