Sumatran Elephants

All About Sumatran Elephant

I. Habitat

Elephant travels much within broad home range so that they need more than one type of habitat. Forest types suitable for Sumatran elephants based on research are:

1. Swamp forest
This forest type encompasses swamp grass land, primary swamp forest, or secondary swamp forest dominated by Gluta renghas, Campenosperma auriculata, C. Macrophylla, Alstonia spp, dan Eugeniaspp.

2. Peat Swamp Forest
Vegetation types in this forest type are: Gonystilus bancanus, Dyera costulata, Licuala spinosa, Shorea spp., Alstonia spp., and Eugenia spp.

3. Lowland forest
This forest type is located in the altitude of 0-750 m above sea level with dominant vegetation of Dipterocarpaceae family.

4. Lower mountain rain forest
This forest type is located in the altitude of 750-1,500 m above sea level with dominant vegetation of Altingia excelsa, Dipterocarpus spp., Shorea spp., Quercus spp., dan Castanopsis spp.
 

 II. Requirements to Live in Nature

1. Shelter 
Sumatran elephants are categorized as warm blooded animals thus in the hot weather condition, these animals will find shelter (thermal cover) to stabilize their body temperature to fit with the environment temperature. The locations usually used for shelter and rest at day light are the places covered with dense vegetation.

2. Diet
Sumatran Elephants are also categorized as herbivorous animals so that they need green food available sufficiently in their habitat. Elephants also need habitat with tree vegetation for their supplement in fulfilling the need for calcium mineral in order to strengthen their bone, teeth, and ivory. Since the digest system is less perfect, an adult elephant needs food in a big amount between 200-300 kg biomass per day or 5-10% of its body weight.

Sumatran elephant food types in natural habitat comprises of some kinds of wild herb, liana, tree bark, banana, and young leaves. If they invade paddy field or farming land, elephants will eat paddy, sugar cane, young coconut leaves, fruit such as papaya, and other seedlings.

3. Water 
Elephants are very much dependent to water thus in the afternoon they look for water sources for drinking, bathing and wallowing. A Sumatran elephant needs to drink about 20-50liter/day. When the water sources are dried, elephant can dig for 50-100 cm using his front feet and trunk in search of water.

4. Mineral 
Elephant also needs mineral salt such as: calcium, magnesium, and callium. These minerals are licked by consuming soil heap contained salt, loosing the hard slope by its front leg and trunks, and eating while raining or after raining.

5. Home range
Elephant is the biggest land mammal that still exist in this age thus it needs wide home range. The Asian Elephant home range is varied between 32.4 - 166.9 km2 meanwhile the home range of elephant herd in primary forest is twice bigger than that of in secondary forest. This condition is related to food productivity in these two different forest conditions.

6. Security and comfort
Elephant needs secured and comfortable situation so that breeding habit will not be disturbed and production process will work well. Therefore wood felling activities done by concession companies have disturbed security and comfort for elephants. 
 

 III. Habit

A. Social Habit

A.1. Living in herd
In natural habitat, elephant lives in herd (gregarius). Living in group is a social habit that pays important role in protecting the herd members. Number of members in one herd is varied depending on weather and resources condition in the habitat in particular the availability of food and extent of home range. One group elephant comprises about 20-35 elephants or some say about 3-23 elephants

Each Sumatran Elephant herd is led by the biggest adult cow, while the adult bull only lives periodically for breeding with some cows in that group. Old bull will live in solitaire since he is unable to follow his group. Young bull, reaching his adolescence is pushed to leave the group or voluntarily join other bull group. Meanwhile, young cow keep staying in the group and acts as the "nanny" in the group.

A.2. Roaming
Naturaly elephants roam in group following permanent paricular paths within one year period of travel. Elephant home range can reach 7 km in one night, even it can reach 15 km per day in dry season or fruit season. Elephant's speed to walk and run in forest and in swamp exceed that of human being's in the same area. Elephant can also swim to cross deep river using their trunk as the snorkel gear or breathing pipe.

When roaming, elephant herd will communicate each other to keep the group integrity. Elephants communicate using soft sound produced by the vibration of its upper trunk. It has been discoverred recently that elephants can communicate through subsonic sound that can reach 5 km. This finding has unveiled the mystery of coordination of elephant herd in search of food in far split up distance while they don't see each other.

A.3. Breeding
Elephants do not have breeding season, they can breed along the year ,however breeding occurs more often when rainy season reaches its top frequence in the area. Bull often behaves outrageously called musht which is indicated by secretion of temporal gland which drips onto its cheek between eyes and ears in black color and with stimulating smell. This habit occurs 3-5 times within 1-4 weeks and is often related with lust periode, however strong evidences 
this matter are still not available.

 
B. Individual Habit

B.1. Eating habit
Elephant is terrestrial mammal which is active at day and night, however most of them are active from 2 hours before late afternoon till 2 hours before dawn to search for food. Elephants often search for food while walking at night for 16-18 hours per day. They are not thrifty toward food thus they tend to leave much food leftover if there is better food available.

B.2. Drinking 
When bathing in river, elephants drink with their mouth while when bathing in shallow river or swamp they suck the the water with their trunks. Elephants are able to suck water to 9 litter in once suck.

B.3. Wallowing
Elephant often wallows in the mud at day light and afternoon when it searches for food. Wallowing habit is important to protect their skin from extoparacyte insect bite besides for cooling down its body.

B.4. Mineral lick 
Elephant search for salt by licking things or other objects containing salt with its trunk. Elephants also often hurt themselves to brush their blood that contains salt.

B.5. Resting
Elephants sleep twice in a day; at midnight, and day light. At night, elephants often sleep by lying down their body to the side using pillow made from grasses. In exhausted condition, they will snore. Meanwhile, at day light elephants sleep while standing under shady trees.
 

IV. Reproduction 
In captivity, elephant can reach the age of 70 and a long his life, a bull does not only bind to a cow mate. A cow is considered matured for reproduction when she reaches the age of 8 to10 years, while a bull when he reaches 12 to 15 years old. A cow experiences reproduction process once in four years with 19-21 months of pregnancy and only delivers one calf of more or less 90 kg per birth. A calf will breastfeed for 2 years and live under the nursing for 3 years.