Reproduction has been the only mechanism that has ensured the continuity of life. All living beings reproduce to populate the mother Earth. The process of reproduction is a very long and sometimes complicated one.
Two opposite individuals have to come together to build a relationship that will definitely lead to fertilization, fertilization initiates the phases of development.
The only animals we are oftentimes privileged to see in labour are our domestic animals such as our dogs, chickens, goats and others. Curiosity actually led me so imagine how an elephant looks like during the process of giving birth to their young ones. Elephants are mammals, which means they give birth to their young ones alive. They are the largest existing land animals on Earth and only three species of these animals are currently known.
They include the African bush elephants, African forest elephants, and the Asian elephants. Other animals have always learnt to keep their distance from these animals except for stubborn animals like lions, tigers, hyenas, and wild dogs, and these animals only attack the young elephants, they cannot try it with the large ones.
If you think humans are the only sophisticated upper-class animals that are known for socializing, then you have to wait till you meet the families of the elephants. Elephants have a fusion society, where multiple family groups come together to socialize. These big animals have been used in wars as formidable instruments of War.
War elephants were trained to grasp and toss enemies to the person riding on them, they also pin enemies down so the ground and impale them.
Before a female elephant can get pregnant, there is a short-lived courtship that exists between the female elephant and a male elephants. They have to rub their bodies on each other and wraps their trunks together. The female then runs away and the male has to chase after her before they finally mate.
The female elephants are only about 14 years before they can start breeding. only male elephants of about 40 to 50 years of age get the right to mate with the female elephants, because of their strength which prevents the younger male elephants from fighting them for the right to mate with the female.
Elephant have the longest duration of time from conception to when the offspring is given birth to, this is about 22 months. The babies can weigh up to 260 pounds at birth.
The male elephant is often referred to as the bull, the female as the cow and the baby is called the calf. Female elephants might give birth every five years, while they continue to mate until they are 40 to 50 years old. Wild elephants usually give birth at night.
Elephants can labour for several days, the labour of an elephant follow a particular process where the pregnant elephant gradually expels the amniotic sac. This sac contains the calf, after the sac is bursted, the elephant draws the calf towards herself and within an hour, the calf can stand, after some hours, it starts walking.
See photos of an elephant in labour below.
The calf however, cannot see at this time. It is nursed and protected by the mother elephant for 4 years…..See More
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