🍼 Elephant calf
The young of an elephant.
An elephant calf is the young of a female elephant. It is big at birth: about 85 cm tall and about 120 kg in weight. Almost at once it gets to its feet and follows its mother and the herd.
A female elephant's udder is between her front legs. The calf suckles with its mouth, not its trunk. At first it cannot control its trunk well and just lets it swing about. When the calf is hungry, it touches its mother's breast or leg. Until it is a year old, the calf suckles for about 2–4 minutes every hour.
For the first three months, the calf lives on milk alone. Then it begins to try plants. But it still needs its mother's milk and protection until at least age two. If a calf suckles for longer, this may help it grow better. In some families, other females also look after the calf — young “nannies” aged 2 to 12.
How it connects to milk
🍼 Elephant calf ← feeds ← 🐘 Elephant cow → belongs to → 🔬 Mammal → produces → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Fed with milk by
- 🐘 Elephant cow
Frequently asked questions
Does a baby elephant drink milk with its trunk?
No, with its mouth. The mother's udder is between her front legs, and the calf reaches up to it with its lips.
How long does a baby elephant drink milk?
Only milk for the first three months, and it keeps suckling from its mother until at least age two.