Did you know that elephants, despite their enormous size and strength, can be absolutely terrified of something as small as a bee?
It’s true! This interesting fact is just one of many fascinating aspects of these majestic creatures.
From their lengthy pregnancies lasting up to 24 months to their complex social structures, elephants continue to intrigue many with their unique behaviors and characteristics.
Let’s delve deeper into the world of elephants and uncover more interesting facts that highlight the wonder and complexity of these gentle giants.
Elephants are terrified of bees
Elephants are massive and have pretty thick skin, about an inch deep.
You’d think an insect smaller than a quarter, even one with a stinger, would be no big deal — but you’d be wrong.
Elephants are so scared of bees that farmers use them as a natural, humane elephant deterrent.
By hanging a beehive every 10 yards or so, researchers have been able to deter 80% of elephants.
African honeybees are small, but aggressive, and can sting areas that aren’t protected by thick elephant skin, like eyes and mouths.
When bees start swarming, African elephants will start flapping their ears, kicking up dust, and yelling.
Asian elephants react less dramatically, but they still get visibly nervous; they shrink away from bees, comfort one another, and sometimes slap their trunks on the ground.
Elephant pregnancies last almost two years
Human pregnancies, which last about 40 weeks, can seem like they last forever, but that’s nothing compared to elephant pregnancies.
An African elephant has a single calf every four to five years after a gestation period of 22 months.
Asian elephants have around one calf every three to eight years, and their pregnancies can be just as long.
It’s a good thing the calves take so much time to develop, though — it gets them ready to keep up with the herd immediately after birth.
Elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal, although some other kinds of animals have longer pregnancies; the frilled shark, which is found off the coasts of Chile and South Africa, has a gestation period of about 42 months.
Elephant tusks never stop growing
Elephants that grow tusks get them when they’re around 2 years old, and they never stop growing.
They can live to about 60 years old in the wild, so their tusks can get really, really long.
Eventually, they reach or nearly reach the ground — elephants with tusks this long are called “tuskers,” or, once tusks get to be around 100 pounds each, “super tuskers.”
These elephants are typically male, but not exclusively; one matriarch elephant with spectacular tusks believed to be 60 to 65 years old died in 2022.
