Elephants
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The 10,000 pound bull was in an irritable mood and decided to charge us. I wish that I knew then what I learned later, because I was scared stiff that the big fellow was going to ram our vehicle. However, he stopped about 25 feet away. One can diferentiate a mock-charge from a serious one: if it had been a serious charge, his ears would have been plastered against his head, and his trunk would have been rolled up tightly under his mouth. However, there's no way of knowing if an elephant is going to change his mind after he's started a mock charge. We could not have outrun him, because we had stopped, and he was too close and already up to speed. [Serengeti, Tanzania].
A portrait of an unusually large female elephant, which I was able to photograph from close-up. [Big Tom's, Hwange NP, Zimbabwe].
Close-up view of a huge bull Elephant who looks like he has worn down, or broken, his tusks. [Matusadonna, Zimbabwe].
I think that this is a beautiful picture of tranquility: A bull Elephant, bearing a pair of beautiful tusks, walking along the Zambezi River. The great white egret (lower R), busy fishing, helps make the composition. [Zambezi River, Zambia].
A bull Elephant with beautiful tusks luxuriating in a mud-bath to rid himself of the pesky insects that like to inhabit the creases in his skin..[South Luangwa NP, Zambia].
Elephant bull "mudding": The bull is throwing the mud beneaath his body, but he will soon start tossing it over his back as well. An elephant does this to combat the irritation from insects that get into cracks in his thick skin. [Hwange NP, Zimbabwe].
Another view of a different Elephant bull "mudding". he's throwing mud onto his underbody. [Hwange NP, Zimbabwe].
About 50 bull Elephants are waiting to get a drink, but the water-hole was almost dry. They had been waiting patiently for some time for those at the water to finish and leave, but after a while, tempers flared, resulting in some pushing & shoving between very thirsty bulls.The loud clashing of the tusks & the forces produced by these behemoths struggling against one another, was impressive. When we returned the next morning, the ground was strewn with pieces of ivory--broken tusks. [Savuti, Chobe NP,Botswana]. [
Elephant Bulls waiting to drink: These are just some of the bulls waiting so patiently for a drink. The water supply here looked pretty skimpy to me, knowing that each thirsty bull could consume almost 100 gallons. Later that evening, the man in charge of these waterholes explained that he had deliberately ordered all the water shut off to encourage the elephants to trek another 10 miles or so to reach the plentiful water of the delta. I don't know if this worked, but I thought it was a little cruel. [Savuti, Botswana].
A curious 55-yr-old bull who came up to the front of our open vehicle, and stood motionless with his trunk against the bumper, staring at the driver and me for about 10 minutes. Neither of us moved. I just stared back. One can't help wondering what he was thinking. His broken tusks and wrinkled skin indicate that he had a lot of 'milage' on him. He then suddenly pulled away from our vehicle and rejoined some other elephants nearby. [Moremi NP, Botswana].
When I first saw this, I thought the Elephant bull was dead. When we began to drive towards him, he began to stand up. The bull was just making 'getting up' easier for himself. Pretty good cognitive function, wouldn't you say? Please see the next 3 images. [Matusadona, Zimbabwe].
Elephant getting up-2nd Image: Please see caption of 1st Image. [Matusadona, Zimbabwe].
Elephant almost standing up-3rd Image: Note that he has hung his trunk on his tusk. He must have been tired. This is a favorite gesture by elephants to ease the burden of the 200 lb. trunk. (Please see caption of the 1st of this series). [Matusadona, Zimbabwe].
Elephant is up walking (4th Image), and perhaps going where he won't be disturbed by curious people like us. (Please see the previous 3 images of this series). [Matusadona, Zimbabwe].
I have frequently heard people say that Elephants always sleep standing up, and so I included this and the previous series of images to demonstrate otherwise. It is probable that elephants, when tired, will lie down if they feel secure in doing so. [Moremi NP, Botswana].
A freshly "mudded" Elephant bull rests his trunk on one of his tusks. A common gesture that elephants use to shift the burden of the 200 lb. weight dangling from the end of their head. {South Luangwa, NP].
The large female in the center has been hogging all the water for too long. Her companion (R side) agrees, and has cradled its head, trunk and tusks against her trunk to gently push it away from the water. [Big Tom's, Hwange NP, Zimbabwe].
A matriarch (behind), with two younger members of the herd in front, standing at the water, drinking.The smallest is probably a year old. I liked the three in a row, with their trunks curled to their mouths. [Hwange NP, Zimbabwe].
I had never before seen an Elephant consume a side of a palm tree, but this one seemed to enjoy the foliage. [Botswana].
I had never before seen an Elephant eat water hyacinth, but this young bull was gobbling it up with gusto. [South Luangwa NP, zambia].
Same Elephant as in the previous image. I was amused by the bald appearance of this young bull caused by his ears, and most of his trunk, being buried under the water hyacinth. [South Luangwa NP, Zambia].
An Elephant is scratching his forhead against the trunk of a dead tree. Often one sees tree-trunks that are very polished on one side. This is producd by elephant's repeated scratching some part of their body against the trunk. [Savuti, Botswana].