🐘 Elephant cow
Also known as: female elephant, elephant
A female elephant: she nurses her calf with milk for several years.
Elephant cow is an adult female elephant, the largest living land animal. A mother elephant nurses her calf for several years. She has a single pair of mammary glands between her front legs, and the calf suckles with its mouth, lifting its trunk out of the way. According to a study of Asian elephants in Myanmar, lactation usually lasts from 2 to 8 years and often ends when the mother gives birth to her next calf.
Elephant milk is fairly rich — tests show about 13–15% fat and 5–6% protein, with little sugar. Its composition changes over the lactation: protein and fat increase over time, while carbohydrates decrease. A special feature of elephant milk is its many complex oligosaccharides, related to those found in human milk.
Zoos and orphanages need this data: hand-rearing an orphaned calf is very difficult, and milk replacers are formulated to match the mother’s milk.
How it connects to milk
🐘 Elephant cow → belongs to → 🔬 Mammal → produces → 🥛 Milk
Links
- What milk it gives
- 🥛 Elephant milk
- Feeds with milk
- 🍼 Elephant calf
- Belongs to
- 🔬 Mammal
- Part of
- 🐾 Other mammals
Frequently asked questions
How long do elephants nurse their calves?
Usually 2–8 years, often until the next calf is born.
How much fat is in elephant milk?
According to research, about 13–15% fat.
Do baby elephants drink milk through their trunk?
No, with their mouth: they lift the trunk out of the way while suckling.
Similar
🐂 Musk ox · 🐕 Dog · 🦔 Hedgehog · 🐖 Pig · 🐻❄️ Polar bear · 🦘 Kangaroo
Sources
- Milk Composition of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Natural Environment in Myanmar during Late Lactation. Animals, 2020
- The Dynamic Changes of African Elephant Milk Composition over Lactation. Animals, 2020