Proboscidea is an order including only one extant family,
Elephantidae or the elephants, with three species: the
Savannah Elephant and Forest Elephant (which were collectively
known as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant
(formerly known as the Indian Elephant). During the period
of the ice age there were more species, which are now
extinct, including the elephant-like mammoth and mastodont
and the "shovel tuskers", the platybelodon and
amebelodon. The earliest known proboscidean is Pilgrimella,
and after that Moeritherium. Elephants are the largest
living land mammals. At birth it is common for an elephant
calf to weigh 100 kg (225 pounds). It takes 20 to 22 months
for a baby elephant to mature to parturition, the longest
gestation period of any land animal. An elephant may live
as long as 60 to 70 years. The largest elephant ever recorded
was a male shot in Angola in 1974, weighing 12 tonnes
(13.5 short tons).
|
