Baby elephants still need mama for years

Those little giants are actually super vulnerable for years, relying on their family's watchful eyes

By Smartasaurus· 2 min read Curious

Imagine a baby animal the size of a grown man that…

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The short version

Those little giants are actually super vulnerable for years, relying on their family's watchful eyes
Their survival depends on a "milk heist" that lasts for years.
Even their poop is a survival tool.

A newborn elephant is the size of a full-grown man, but it can’t even figure out how to use its own face. If you watch a calf near a watering hole, you’ll see it lean down and drink directly with its mouth like a dog because it has no idea what its trunk is for.

It takes nearly a year for an elephant to master the 40,000 muscles in its trunk. Until then, the limb is just a heavy, floppy noodle that they frequently trip over or suck on for comfort, much like a human baby sucks its thumb.

These calves are born legally blind, seeing only a few feet in front of them. While a baby zebra can outrun a cheetah within forty-five minutes of birth, a baby elephant is essentially a 250-pound vibrating sensory mess that can't even regulate its own body temperature.

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