Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-10-18
ELEPHANTS.
by DR.. Robinson.


ages as a sagacious and docile animal.
This celebrity is mostly due to the
feats he can perform with his trunk.
He is the largest existing land animal.
often attaining the weight of 10000
pounds.
The elephant lives to a great age.
Tipo Sahib, of India, died being at
least $50 years old History tells US
that the Romans employed elephants
In their wars and branded them.
These branded elephants returned to
the wild state and were recaptured
after 200 years, making them about
300 years old. He requires 80 years
to become full grown. The elephant
is polygamous and very social, living
in herds of twenty or more under the
leadership and guidance of the
strongest and fttest surviving male.
When an elephant for any reason
leaves his own herd he is not allowed
to join another, but always after lives
alone. By being cut off from the
social and moderating influences of
his own kind he becomes soured,
irritable and dangerous-and for this
reason he is now called "rogue. !"
His food is entirely vegeta ble-grass,
foliage and roots. A full grown
elephant requires 200 pounds Of vege-
tables, bushel of grain and two
barrels of water day. His neck is so
short that the head cannot reach tie
ground and he therefore requires an
additional organ to seize his food.
This is furnished in an elongated nose
and upper lip provided with finger
and thumb-like process at the end
which is SO delicate and sensitive that
he can pick up pin.
The anatomy of the elephant is well
known since the days of, the French
man, Culver The bones of the
elephant are large and massive,
designate rather for strength and
solidity IAN speed. His bones re-
semble human bones very much
except in size, but he has no clavicle
(collar bone) for the reason that he
needs his legs more under the center
of the body for support. The skull
of the elephant, having a verticle
forehead endows him with the appear
anee of sublime, wisdom and
Intelligence and massive brain.
This delusion is explained by the fact
that the two tables Of bone forming
the forehead are widely separated
leaving large spaces between them
called sinuses. This expansion of
the outer table of the skull gives
larger origin surface for the muscles
of the trunk and large head. The
brain of the elephant is twice as
heavy as that of any other animal in
the world, the whale & man come next.
An elephant weighing 10000 pounds
will have brain of about II pounds
Ca man of $50 pounds has brain of
I3 pounds.) The stomach re-
sembles the camels in that it has a
pouch which can be cut off from the
the rest of the organ for the storage
of water against times of thirst.
This pouch will hold about 10 gallons
and he is able to pour it's contents
into his trunk to bath himself or wash
the baby! The length of the intes-
tines of any animal depends on the
kind of food it subsists on. The
Giraffe subsists on dry branches. This
requires long intestine to absorb the
nutritious part of such dry food. The
design is accomplished in that the in
testine of the Giraffe is said to be
200 feet long. The elephant and man
live on about the same kind of food
and the length of the intestines is
proportional-that of the elephant
being about so feet and that of man
being about 25 feet long. The cir
conference of the large intestine
(colon) of the elephant will measure
s or 9 feet. The heart of the above
sized elephant will weige 40 pounds,
| Ga mans heart 10 ounces. } The
science of necessity (strength) seemed
to replace the Aesthetic in the
formation of the elephants legs and
| TIL