Most elephants can survive in a variety of habitats, as long as the conditions are right. To sustain these large animals, however, an elephant habitat should contain sufficient quantities of food and water. African elephants can typically be found in grasslands, woodlands, rainforests, and even deserts, and Asian elephants are mostly found in rain forests. Both African and Asian elephants also migrate each year to find food and water. Many natural elephant habitats are becoming more scarce, due to human encroachment.
Elephants are the largest land animals on earth. Two main elephant species exist today: African elephants and Asian elephants. Generally, just about any type of habitat can be turned into an elephant habitat.
An elephant’s natural surroundings must be somewhat warm. Most adult elephants will usually eat a few hundred pounds (140 kilograms) of food each day and they also need large amounts of water. Along with drinking water, elephants also use it to clean themselves and regulate their temperature. For this reason, an elephant habitat must have large amounts of food and water.
The African elephant can be found in a variety of habitats on the African continent. An elephant habitat, for example, might be a grassy plain, forest, or desert. They can often be found feeding on shrubs and trees in these areas. When they gather around pools of water, they can be seen drinking, as well as spraying themselves and each other.
An Asian elephant habitat is usually a little more constant. These types of elephants typically inhabit the dense tropical forests on the continent of Asia. These forests provide adequate food and water for these large animals. The gray color of these elephants’ skin is also very well camouflaged in the shade provided by the forest canopy.
Elephants typically travel great distances looking for food and water. During the dry months of the year, African elephants that usually inhabit dry grasslands or deserts will travel to wetter habitats, like forests. Large groups of elephants are usually led by an alpha male during these journeys.
Due to their size, most elephants have very few natural predators, besides humans. Elephants are often killed simply for their tusks, which are made from precious ivory. Humans have also began to build towns and harvest natural resources from once-remote areas of Africa and Asia. This human encroachment has destroyed large areas of natural elephant habitats.