Elephas beyeri (SciiFii)

The Philippine elephant (Elephas beyeri), also known as the Philippine dwarf elephant, the Philippine pygmy elephant, the Luzon elephant, the Luzon dwarf elephant, and the Luzon pygmy elephant, is a species of dwarf elephant belonging to the Elephantidae family that originally lived on Cabarruyan Island, Visayas, and Luzon in The Philippines and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced throughout the Philippines to help boost biodiversity. The Philippine elephant is a very small elephant species, growing to be slightly smaller in size than a Borneo elephant, about 5.3 feet (63 inches) tall at the shoulders and weigh around 1-2 tons on average. Despite this, the Philippine elephant is the largest native land mammal of the Philippines. The Philippine elephants are both diurnal and crepuscular animals, being most active during most of the day as well as both sunrise and sunset. They are classified as megaherbivores and consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. They are generalist feeders, and are both grazers and browsers. They are known to feed on at least 298 different plant species, most commonly grasses, as well as mulberry leaves, conifer needles, legume, palm, sedge, and among other plants. They browse more in the dry season with bark constituting a major part of their diet in the cool part of that season. They drink at least once a day and, in humid habitats, are never far from a permanent source of fresh water, . They need 50–200 litres of water a day and use even more for bathing. At times, they scrape the soil for clay or minerals. Adult females and calves move about together as groups, while adult males disperse from their mothers upon reaching adolescence. Bull elephants are solitary or form temporary "bachelor groups". Cow-calf units generally tend to be small, typically consisting of three adults (most likely related females) and their offspring. Larger groups of as many as 15 adult females have also been recorded. Seasonal aggregations of 17 individuals including calves and young adults have been observed in tropical forests of Luzon. The female Philippine elephants, like most elephants, form extensive and very fluid social networks, with varying degrees of associations between individuals. Social ties generally tend to be weaker than in African elephants. Unlike African elephants, which rarely use their forefeet for anything other than digging or scraping soil, Philippine elephants are more agile at using their feet in conjunction with the trunk for manipulating objects. They can sometimes be known for their violent behavior. Elephants are able to distinguish low-amplitude sounds. They can use infrasound to communicate. Philippine elephants, like other elephants, have a very large and highly developed neocortex, a trait also shared by apes (including humans), advanced prosimians, and certain dolphin species. They have a greater volume of cerebral cortex available for cognitive processing than many other existing land animals. The Philippine elephants have cognitive abilities for tool use and tool-making similar to great apes. They exhibit a wide variety of behaviours, including those associated with grief, learning, allomothering, mimicry, play, altruism, use of tools, compassion, cooperation, self-awareness, memory, and language. Philippine elephants head to safer ground during natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes. The conservation status of the Philippine elephants is Vulnerable due to some habitat loss and poaching, however, thanks to the conservation efforts, the Philippine elephant is a protected species.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii