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There are 2 different species of elephants: the African elephant and the Asian elephant (also known as the Indian elephant). Elephants are the largest land animals. Elephants are very social animals and live in family groups referred to as "herds". Female elephants are also called "cows" and males are called "bulls". Elephants have a 22 month gestation (pregnancy) and produce one offspring at a time. The baby is called a "calf". Baby elephants weigh about 200 lbs. at birth. Both species of elephants are long-lived animals; they can live about 50-60 years. Elephants are herbivores and eat large amounts of plant material: leaves, branches, grass, bark, even roots. Each individual elephant will eat several hundred pounds of plant material every day and will drink about 50 gallons of water a day. The ivory tusks are actually 2 upper incisor teeth and the elephant has 4 more large molar teeth in its mouth: one in each corner. Interestingly elephants go through 6 sets of teeth in their lifetime. Elephants can grow as tall as 11 feet and can weigh up to 15,000 lbs. African elephants generally are taller than Asians, but the Asian elephants are usually heavier.
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