Elephants spend about 16 hours a day eating. Their diet is varied and includes grass, leaves, twigs, bark and fruit. Elephants form deep family bonds and live in tight social units. A family is led by an older matriarch and typically includes three or four of her offspring and their young. Males leave the family unit between the ages of 12 and 15 and may lead solitary adult lives.
Females carry their young for almost two years.
At birth, the calf weighs about 250 pounds. A cow may give birth every three to four years. Increasing human populations, habitat loss and the ivory trade are the greatest threats to the elephants future. Appendix I listed species cannot be traded commercially. Appendix II listed species can be traded commercially only if trade does not harm their survival.