They may wrestle with their trunks or even engage in a tusk charge, which may be fatal. Elephants breed at any time of the year, but most matings and births occur during rainy seasons. Before mating, they go through courtship rituals which include caressing with the trunk. Elephant calves may weigh over 200 pounds and can walk in as little as fifteen minutes. They may nurse for two to three years.
Elephant mothers are great care givers.
They frequently touch their calves with their trunk and feet, bathe them, help lift them over obstacles or out of wallows, and protect them from danger and the hot sun. An elephant calf may grasp its mother's tail with its trunk as it follows along. Though they mature between ten and twenty years of age, elephants continue growing for life. They may also maintain family relationships for life. Elephant society is matriarchal.