The word herbivore comes from the Latin word herbivora. Herba in latin means “a small plant or herb” and vora means “to eat”. So herbivores are animals that eat only vegetables and/or vegetation. Elephants are herbivorous animals that can consume between 149 and 169 kg (330-375 lb.) of vegetation and ten gallons of water daily. An amazing fact is that an adult male elephant can drink up to 212 L (55 gal.) of water in just less than five minutes. With such a healthy appetite an elephant will walk up to ten miles a day in its continuous search for grasses, leaves, fruits, bark, and roots. Salt and minerals are obtained from soil. Their diet changes from season to season, it depends on what is available at the current moment in their habitat.
After all that movement these animals have about four hours left in the day for rest. They can sleep at night in the lying position or may doze off in the standing position. Continuous chewing has a strong influence on an elephant’s teeth luckily these animals have cycles of – rotation and can grow up to six sets of chewing teeth in their lifetime.
