Sumatran elephant is the largest animal existed in Indonesia. Originally, Sumatran elephant is descendant of Asian elephant but they have a smaller size. They could only be found in the Sumatra Island. They live in the forest. Their weight is up to 6 tons and they have a height approximately 3.5 m. They have a great expectancy of life if compared with the other animals. Their age could reach 70 years.
Sumatran Elephants have a very sharp auditory because they have big and wide ears. They can hear sounds from a distance about tens kilometer. Besides functioning as the hearing tools, their ear also serve as a means of regulating their body temperature. They can lower their body temperature by fanning their body with their large ears. Sumatran elephants also have a long proboscis like other types of elephants. Their proboscis serves as a tool to find or to get food and water, and it can also be used to hold a tree trunk. Sumatran Elephants males are different with the female. Elephant males have ivory which are emerging from their mouth. The ivory is very long and very dangerous.
Just like other types of Elephants, Sumatran Elephants have a bigger brain than the other mammals. It makes them as a smart animal. Because of his intelligence, they are often trained by humans as an assistant for human beings or as entertainer animals in a circus. Although they have a very large body, they are able to survive in the water approximately for 6 hours and swim as far as 50 miles.
Sumatran Elephant eats plants existed in the forest because they are kind of herbivorous animals. They usually eat grass, leaves, twigs, roots, fruits, and flowers. An adult Sumatran elephant can eat about 300 pounds to 600 pounds or in kilograms is size between 140 kg to 270 kg in a day. They love to eat, so most of their time spent by searching food. It is because the Sumatran elephant will only digest their 40% food out of amount of food eaten. Most or approximately 60% of the food eaten will be left in their stomach and will not be digested.
Sumatran elephant included in mammals because they reproduce by bearing their children. They population growth is very slow because Sumatran elephant has a long period in pregnancy. They are pregnant their baby for 22 months. Commonly, they newborn baby weighs is about 120 kg and height is up to 90 cm. With their large size, the baby Sumatran elephant is the largest mammal baby in Indonesia.
Sumatran elephants have organized social life. They live in groups consisting of adult female elephant as the leader of the group, their children and their relative female elephants. While male elephants will always live alone, they do not have a group.
They are a kind of protected animals because their population remains little in their habitat. Their population began to decline year by year. According to a survey conducted in 2000 there were approximately 2000 to 2700 elephants, but in the end 65% of the population died killed by humans and the 35% remaining probably die because of poison. The destruction of their habitat is also a factor which reduces Sumatran elephant population.
