Hi. You are probably wondering who I am. Well, I am an elephant and today I will tell you my autobiography.
I am an African bush elephant and live in sub-Saharan Africa. You can see me in Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola, and Botswana. I have cousins who live in South and Southeast Asia. I am herbivorous. I can live in the savannas, forests, and deserts, but I prefer to be closer to the water.
Other animals avoid me, probably because of my size. I do not have natural enemies. Basically, my only enemy is a man who is destroying my habitat and hunts me in order to obtain ivory. Men usually see me as a trophy. But I am so much more than that. I am very important in maintaining environmental balance.
Etymology
My name was derived from old Latin, and Phoenician.
Characteristics:
- I am much bigger than my cousins who live in the forest:
- I have a concave back, stocky legs, and a thick body;
- I have around 40,000 muscles and because of that I can lift very heavy objects;
- I live up to 70 years when I am at my home, but if the man prisoners me, I only live up to 65 years;
- I have a very large trunk up to 3 meters which helps me to reach food and water;
- I am the largest and the heaviest animal on the land;
- I am able to feel empathy to the other animals;
- As a male I usually live alone, while my wife and kids live in a herd;
- I am a very social and active mammal, and I take care of my relatives;
- Sometimes I have a fight with my relatives, but that only happens during the mating season.
Challenges
I think that we are getting less and less because of the hunters which are more and more. Today, some people consider us vulnerable and they are trying to protect us.
It’s not in my nature to be aggressive. But I think I will soon have to become that if I want to survive.