African Elephant Facts

How much does an Elephant weigh? The average large Elephant bull reaches a weight of 5.5 tons. Some males can be as heavy as 6.5 tons. The females average about 3.5 to 4 tons.

How old do Elephant get?

The age will vary from one area to the next. In South Africa they normally reach 60-65 years. In Kenya & Tanzania about 70-75 years. The world record oldest Elephant reached an age of 86 years.

The reason why there is such an age difference in the different countries is due to the type of vegetation that the Elephants are eating. The softer the vegetation is, the longer the lifespan of the animal. Excluding the tusks, an Elephant has 8 teeth in its’ mouth, 4 molars on the top and 4 on the bottom. They eat on average 18 hours a day so eventually the teeth start cracking and fall out. A new set of teeth will then replace the old set.

An Elephant goes through 6 sets of teeth in a lifetime and at the age of about 47 years the last set will push through. Once the last set of teeth have fallen out Elephant starts rubbing the vegetation between its’ gums to try break it down. The condition of the animal deteriorates as it can’t chew its’ food properly to get enough nutrition and eventually dies. The Elephants in Kenya & Tanzania feed mainly on grass, which is their favourite food. The grass is soft on the teeth, so the Elephants last set of teeth last quite a long time.

The elephants in South Africa also prefer grass but in the winter period when there less grass to eat they then start feeding more on leaves, roots and the bark of trees. This vegetation is a lot harder on the teeth so the last set of teeth don’t last as long as the Elephants in Kenya/Tanzania. How much do Elephant eat in a day?A large Elephant bull will eat as much a 200 kg of food a day. Only 40% of that is digested as they have a very weak digestive system. They will eat on average 18 hours a day.

How many muscles in an Elephants Trunk?

o one knows for 100% how many muscles there are. I have heard two figures, one of 40 0000 and another of 140 000 muscles. With so many muscles so close together it makes it difficult to count. What might look like 1 muscle could be a small group of muscles. So the correct answer would be "the elephant has thousands of muscles in the trunk".

How long is the Elephants gestation period?

The female is pregnant for 22 months. The newborn calf suckles for 18 months and even as long as 2 years. The reason for such a long weaning period is because of the many thousands of muscles that they have in their trunks, making it very difficult for the calf to control. As the calf learns how to use its trunk, it will start feeding more off vegetation and become less dependent on its mother’s milk.

About the author:
I am an ex-game ranger from South Africa. I have a blog filled with information of all sorts of wildlife in Africa. I also talk about all my encounters with dangerous game while doing bush walks. For a taste of Africa visit my Blog at http://www.safari-stories.iblog.co.za Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

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A home For Dairy Cows

Did you know that since 1969, the United States has lost 85 percent of its dairy farms. And did you know that since 1969, Wisconsin has lost nearly 70 percent of its dairy farms?” I lived away from my hometown in west central Wisconsin for 15 years. When I returned in the mid 1990s, I expected to be living in a farming community again. Instead, I discovered that many of the small family dairy farms like the one where I grew up had disappeared" said LeAnn R. Ralph, author of the books Christmas in Dairy land (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm) (August 2003) and Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam (October 2004). Figures from the Census of Agriculture and from the American Farm Bureau Federation indicate that in 1969 more than a half a million dairy farms operated in the United States, but by the year 2000, only 83,000 dairy farms remained. And according to statistics from the U.S. Census of Agriculture, during the last three decades of the twentieth century, Wisconsin went from 66,000 dairy farms down to 20,000 dairy farms.” That’s why I decided to write stories about growing up on a dairy farm. Our farm was home-steadied by my Norwegian great-grandfather in the late 1800s, but small family farms are a thing of the past. They have pretty much disappeared from the landscape," Ralph said.” My dad milked 20 cows and knew all of them by name. Nowadays the trend is toward corporate farms that milk hundreds of cows," she said. Ralph’s new book, Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam (192 pages; $13.95; ISBN 1-59113-592-3) is a collection of 20 true stories that took place on her family's farm 40 years ago. Story titles include "Taking the Bull by the Horns," "Spring Cleaning," "A Different Sort of Cow," "Dad's Favorite Recipe," "Popsicle Blues," "On Top of the World," and "Better Butter.” According to Midwest Book Review, Ralph's first book, Christmas In Dairy land: True Stories From A Wisconsin Farm "is a heartwarming anthology of true anecdotes of rural life on a Wisconsin dairy farm.

Even though Wisconsin is still known as America's Dairy land, life on a family homestead is fast being replaced by corporate agribusiness, and the memories treasured in Christmas In Dairy land are quickly becoming unique milestones of an era needing to be preserved in thought and print for the sake of future generations. Christmas In Dairy land is simply wonderful reading and is a 'must' for all Wisconsin public library collections.” Ralph earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a writing emphasis from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from UW-Whitewater. She worked as a newspaper reporter for nine years and also has taught English at a boys' boarding school. She is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers' Assoc.). Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam and Christmas in Dairy land (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm) are available through Barnes & Noble.

Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to animals, do please browse for more information at our websites.http://www.freearticlesdirectory.co.uk/www.infozabout.comhttp://www.freearticlesdirectory.co.uk/www.animals.infozabout.com

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Deer control

If you have mature plants that are being devoured by deer
-- it's time to take action! Deer Repellents can be very effective and easy
to use.

Deer will almost always stay away from plants that offend
two or more senses. Therefore, if a plant tastes and smells offensive deer
will avoid the general area it's planted in. Deer resistant
gardener use's this knowledge to their advantage.

Yardiac.com recommends using two deer deterrents together
(one that offends the sense of smell and one that offends the sense of taste)
they will render your tasty plant repulsive to deer.

The best combination we have found is:

Tree Guard or Hot Pepper Wax
used in conjunction with Coyote
Urine.

Using two
products will activate the sense of smell and taste and encourage the deer to
move on to more attractive foliage (hopefully not your neighbors) You can
learn more about or purchase these products at Yardiac.com's animal
repellent department.

Deer hate hot and spicy foods

After one little nibble of a plant coated with hot pepper wax they will
definitely say, “No thank you!” when it comes time for seconds. Hot pepper
wax combines hot cayenne pepper extract in a food-grade wax. Unlike some
solutions, the wax will not wash off of your plants for several weeks.

Applying hot pepper wax to the surfaces of your plants & hanging dispensers
filled with Coyote
Urine is possibly the most effective method of protecting your plants from
deer browsing. Why do predator urine and hot pepper wax work best when used
together? Most deer deterrents work on the premise of “offending” one of the
deer’s five senses: sight, taste, smell, hearing or touch. Predator urine
works on the sense of smell, while hot pepper wax works on the sense of taste.
Using these two products together you are not just offending one sense but
two.

Say Bye to Bambi enter the Deer
Repellent Department Here

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Training Young Colts- First Steps

Horses are a social animal, smart and generally eager to please their owner. They are not, however, born that way. A great deal of time, energy and patience goes into training a horse. Generally, the younger the colt the easier it will be to train him.

FIRST STEPS IN TRAINING YOUR COLT
Trust. Your colt must trust you. Go out and play with him, pet and groom him, get him used to you. Reward him with a treat when he comes up to you.
Halter. When he is used to you then you can halter him. Put the halter on and off a few times. Let him smell it, see it and learn that it won't hurt him.
Tie him up. When you have the halter on, tie him up. Tie him short so he can't hang himself up in the lead. Let him pull back and get used to the idea of being tied. Leave him standing tied for half an hour - it won't hurt him. Keep a close eye on him while he is tied.
Leading. When he understands the idea of being tied you can begin leading him around. Give a gentle tug - never a sharp jerk - and get him moving forward. When he steps forward give him slack as his reward but keep moving forward. If he refuses to step forward then use a rope looped behind his butt and pull gently until he steps forward then immediately let up on the butt rope. You could also lead him to the side until he takes a step.
Pet and groom your colt. Make sure you touch your colt all over. Play with his ears and muzzle, rub him over his rump and down the legs, stand on both sides of him. Walk towards him from different directions. Your goal here is to get the colt used to people coming at him from every direction and touching him everywhere.
Pick up the colt's feet. Start working with his feet. Pick up his feet. Be careful he doesn't kick or bite you and don't let him put his foot down until you release it.
Teach you colt some manners. Now's the time to set the rules. Biting, pushing and kicking are not allowed. A smack and a sharp word will let him know you won't tolerate any of that. They catch on fast.
When you have him tied start with the blanket. Let your colt see, smell and feel the blanket then put it on his back. Flop it across his neck and over his rump. Get him used to the feel of it.
When you have him comfortable with the blanket then start throwing it. Toss it at him gently and be prepared for the colt to jump. He will see the blanket coming in his peripheral vision and it will startle him. Be patient and talk your horse. Get him used to the blanket hitting him in the feet, around the head and over his back and rump.
Wave your hat or jacket around, play with a rope. Get your colt used to activity going on around him.These steps may seem like small insignificant things but they are what make the horse. Do a good job teaching your colt the basics and you will have a sound horse to ride.

WHAT YOUR COLT HAS LEARNED
To stand tied.
To be led.
To be handled.
Manners.
To have something on his back.
Not to startle when something comes at him.The last three steps are very important. You don't want to ride a horse that will go wild at the sight of bags flapping in the fence or birds flying out from under him. A startled jump - if that - and a quick recovery is what you're looking for.Patience is a virtue and every animal learns at a different rate but keep at it. Gain the trust of your colt and he will be eager to please you.Remember your colt is little and like a child he doesn't always want to go to school. He will argue with the teacher, play tricks and forget everything right before the test. Sometimes you will be able to work long and hard and other days you'll have to break early for recess. Be patient - some of what you are teaching him will stick!

Published: 2006-11-29 Author: Pam Stushnoff
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