Family Matters

Family Matters. Elephants are family-oriented animals that are born into family groups called herds.. , The matriarch leads , Elephants follow the matriarch, who is often, but not always, the oldest female in the herd. Female elephants stay with their daughters, sisters, and other related females for life and share child-rearing duties., Bachelor life , Male elephants leave their birth herds at some point. They may stay near their family groups for a few years but will eventually join with other bulls in loose bachelor herds. Older bulls generally tolerate younger bulls and act as role models., Pardon me, I'm in musth , Bull elephants can enter musth, which means "intoxicated" in Hindi. It is a time when bulls behave unpredictably. They surge with hormones, want nothing to do with younger bulls, and assert their dominance., Did you know? , Elephants have the longest pregnancies of all mammals., A female carries her calf in the womb for nearly 2 years before giving birth., Elephants have the largest bodies and brains of all land animals. A long pregnancy allows for longer brain development, which gives newborn elephants a better chance of survival., [Caption:] , Samson was the first elephant ever born at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. His birthday is March 19, 2008. He weighed 265 pounds at birth and could eventually tip the scales at 10,000 pounds or more.