How much water does an elephant drink a day and what do they eat? | National geographic 24

How much water does an elephant drink a day and what do they eat?
Answer: The largest land animals in the world today, there are two distinct species of elephants – the Asian elephant and the African elephant. African elephants can grow to a height of about 13 feet and weigh more than ten tons, or 20,000 pounds! Though smaller, Asian elephants can still grow to a height of 12 feet and weigh more than seven tons (14,000 lbs). They have the largest brain and longest gestation period of any land animal with each pregnancy averaging 21.5 months.

Elephants are also long-lived. Studies show African elephant life expectancy to be 41 years for females and 24 years for males, though the maximum lifespan for females is more than 65 years and close to 60 years for males. Elephants develop at a rate similar to humans.

Since elephants are so large, they require an enormous amount of food. Elephants may spend 12-18 hours a day feeding. Adult elephants can eat between 200-600 pounds of food a day. As herbivores, elephants consume grasses, tree foliage, bark, twigs, and other vegetation daily. Elephants can also drink up to 50 gallons of water a day about as much as a standard bathtub holds.

Elephants are a keystone species that influence the composition of their environment while often benefiting other species. The elephants ability to locate underground water and dig pools helps provide many other species with water during droughts. Elephants may destroy trees and shrubs allowing for grasses to grow that other species eat.