By Abdulhamid Ibrahim Saikpai
The elephants have the longest gestation period by any mammal -- 22 months in the African and 18-22 in the Asian/Indian elephant The female elephant-- the mother, gives birth to one calf at a time, twins are extremely rare but can occur. Since their lifespan reaches to about 60-70 years in the wild, females can give birth to about 5 calves in her lifetime.
The mother provides them with milk, but the other females, like the aunties can also nurse them (allomothers). The herd is headed by the matriarch and together with the other herdmates she helps guide the calves. Upon birth, the calves walk within an hour and within 2-3 days, they begin to join the other herd members to move around.
They take the mother's milk for up to 2-3 years, but can still suckle until 10 years. They learn what to eat from the older ones. The males reach sexual maturity between the age of 10 and 12 and this is usually when they leave the herd, but it can be longer-- about 14 - 16 when they leave to join a bachelor group. Females hardly leave the herd and usually remain within their herd for the rest of their lives.
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