Why Do Elephants Eat Sand

Why do elephants eat sand?

The elephant's trunk is actually a long nose. It uses it for smelling drinking and picking stuff up like grass and twigs to eat, it also uses it for breathing while swimming.

At the end of the elephant's trunk are two finger-like features which helps it to grab really small items like sand and pebbles.

The sand could also work as an abrasive by helping to digest some of the more fibrous plants that it eats.

Elephants eat sand which contain minerals like calcium sodium and iron which is important for maintaining a healthy diet.

This elephant is using its toenails to break some particles of the soil and actually, it's pushing some of the sand right into the trunk before picking it up, it's not using those two finger like structures, it's breaking the bigger pieces and then putting it into its mouth.

Sometimes the sand or clay could help minimize stomach aches from the plants which have toxins.

Every elephant is a different individual and each has its own style of eating sand. So the earlier one was actually pushing the sand into its trunk whereas these ones are using the fingers on the trunk to pick up the sand and put it into their mouth.

Female elephants tend to eat more sand than males, which suggests that the females have a greater nutritional need for it especially during pregnancy and lactation.

#elephants #wildlife #wildkenyasafaris

Comments

Lions Mating Up Close In Kenya

This lion and lioness are mating really close to the road.

The Roughness Of A Lions Tongue

A lions tongue has numerous tiny spines called papillae Pet lovers with a domestic cat at home will relate to this story quite well, as they would have had their hands or fingers licked by their cat's tongue at some point or another. A lion’s tongue is no less different in design to that of a house cats, with the exception that its sheer size and heaviness would make a lions tongue as rough and harsh as sandpaper! But why is the lions tongue so rough and how is this beneficial? The reason for its roughness is that the surface of the lions tongue is covered in many tiny spines called papillae, which are further divided into 3 types namely; Filiform, Fungiform and Vallate papillae. The cats filiform papillae which is located on the tongues dorsal surface, is the main reason for the roughness, and these can also be compared to barbs since they face backwards in the direction of the throat. Having a barbed tongue is beneficial to the lion for a number of reasons. I...

The Unique Looking Guitar Fish

Guitar Fish resting on the sea bed One of the most interesting characteristics about the guitar fish is its unique body shape. It seemingly looks like a cross between a shark and a ray - with its flattened ray like head yet it has a long shark like body with dorsal fins - but this fish is actually a classification of its own and has about 50 subspecies. The guitar fish prefers to remain tranquil on the sea bed, partly covering itself with sand to camouflage itself for any unsuspecting prey such as crabs or small fish that may come past it. Reaching sizes of approximately two meters in length, they are quite docile so can easily be approached by underwater photographers.

WILD KENYA SAFARIS - Kenya Safaris, Diani Beach Safaris, Mombasa Safaris and more

Search This Blog