You know when you take an interest in something and suddenly you need to know everything there is to know about it? Before you know it, you’re telling everyone everything you’ve learned until they’re begging you to change the subject.
That’s about to happen here with our newfound interest in elephants, just in time for World Elephant Day.
What is it about elephants that makes them so special that they deserve their own day?
They’re constantly eating
You eat 3 to 4 pounds of food each day. That means it would take you a little over three months to eat the same amount an elephant eats every single day.
They have different ways of communicating
Think of the ways that you communicate with your friends: verbally, text messaging, social media, and maybe even through good old fashioned emails if you’re feeling nostalgic. For elephants, their communication consists of sounds like trumpet calls, snorts, barks, roars, cries, and some sounds that are too low for the human ear to detect. They also rely on body language, touch and scent. In some cases, they speak to each other using sounds that create vibrations in the ground called seismic signals that can be felt through their bones.
They never forget
There are some things that you wish you could delete from your memory forever.
That one haircut that makes you cringe when you think about it
That time the waiter told you to enjoy your meal and you said “you too.”
Even that thing you swore you’d never tell anyone about (Don’t worry, we won’t tell. But seriously, hot pink pleather?!)
If elephants ever have moments they wish they could forget, they’re out of luck because they remember everything. This is because their temporal lobe - the part of the brain associated with memories - is larger and denser than ours. In fact, their whole brain is significantly larger than a human’s. It weighs approximately 11 pounds, making it the largest of all the land animals.
While having that good of a memory may have its downfalls, there is an upside. Elephants live in groups called herds that are made up of related females with the oldest one, called the matriarch, in charge. With her excellent memory, the matriarch is able to lead the herd to places she remembers having food and water. Researchers believe that this is part of the reason they are able to live for 50-60 years or more on average.
Speaking of never forgetting, treat a loved one (or yourself - we’re not judging… Except about the pleather thing) to an elephant themed gift to show off their love of these gentle giants. You’ll be at the forefront of their memory every time they look at the gift.
Check out the elephant collection to find jewelry, decor, and everything you need for the elephant lover in your life.