The Life of an African Elephant
by Casidee, Ridgeline Staff Reporter
African Elephants are the largest land mammals. Their big ears help them keep cool in the hot African climate. They are just slightly larger then their Asian cousins and can be told apart by their larger ears.
Elephants are fond of water and enjoy splashing and taking a shower. An elephant’s trunk is actually a long nose that is used for lots of things like smelling, drinking, breathing, trumpeting, and also for grabbing things, especially meals! The trunk alone has 1,000 muscles!!!
Both male and female African Elephants have tusks they use to dig for food and water. Males use the tusks to battle one another. Their tusks are made of ivory, which is very valuable to hunters. Elephants eat roots, grass, fruit, and bark. The female elephants (cows) live in family herds with their young, but the adult males (bulls) tend to go on their own.
African Elephant populations are endangered since their tusks are made of ivory. These African Elephants are gentle giants, not harmful beasts; that’s what makes them so great!!
Ridgeline is Buffalo Ridge Elementary’s online newspaper. Each month, a student piece will be printed in The Castle Pines Connection. Cassidee is a fourth-grader in Mrs. Jaramillo’s class. To view the online newspaper, visit
http://schools.dcsdk12.org/bre, click on “Classroom/School Websites” and then on “Ridgeline.”
