A baby elephant is called a calf. It weighs about 250 pounds at birth and stands about three feet ta

A baby elephant is called a calf. It weighs about 250 pounds at birth and stands about three feet tall. They can’t see very well at first, but they can recognize their mothers by touch, scent, and sound.

Baby elephants stay very close to their mothers for the first couple of months. The calves drink their mother’s milk for about two years, sometimes longer. They drink up to 3 gallons of milk a day. At about four months old, they also begin eating some plants, like adult elephants, but they continue to need as much milk from their mother. They keep drinking milk for up to ten years!

At first, baby elephants don’t really know what to do with their trunks. They swing them to and fro and sometimes even step on them. They will suck their trunk just as a baby would suck its thumb. By about 6 to 8 months, they begin learning to use their trunk to eat and drink. By they time they are a year old, they can control their trunks pretty well.

Female elephants stay with the herd for life, while males leave the herd at about 12 to 14 years of age.

FAST FACTS ABOUT BABY ELEPHANTS
Gestation period: 18 - 22 months
Birth weight about 250 pounds
Height about 3 feet tall
About 99% of calves are born at night
Calves are born with curly black or red hair on their foreheads
Calves drink about 3 gallons of milk a day