Name:_________________________________
African Elephants
African elephants are the largest land
mammals in the world! Male African elephants
can get to be thirteen feet tall, when measured
from the ground to the top of their shoulder.
They can weigh up to 14,000 pounds. Male
elephants are called bulls, and female elephants
are called cows. Cows do not grow as large as bulls.
African elephants have ears that can be five feet long, and are
shaped like the continent of Africa! Elephants can flap their ears. The
big ears help keep the elephants cool. When the elephants flap their
ears, the ears act as a fan. The flapping also helps cool down the
elephant’s blood as it runs through the thousands of veins near the
surface of the ears. The cooled blood is pumped back through the
elephant’s body and cools the elephant down.
Elephants graze, or eat continuously throughout the day. An
elephant can graze for up to sixteen hours a day. They eat vegetation
such as grass, leaves, plants, bark, and fruit. Because they are so big
and heavy, elephants need to eat a large amount of food each day. A
single elephant can eat up to three hundred pounds of vegetation in
one day!
Elephants’ trunks are very interesting and serve several different
functions. Elephants can use them to grasp, pull, or hold things, much
like humans can use their hands. At the very end of an elephant’s trunk
are two prehensile (grasping) “fingers” which they can use to pick up
things. Elephants can also curl their trunks around objects to carry or
to pull them. Elephants grasp their food with their trunks and then put it
in their mouths. Elephants breathe through their trunks. They can also
use their trunks like straws, to suck up water, which they can then
squirt into their mouths. Elephants sometimes drink up to forty gallons
of water a day!
Elephants have two tusks made of ivory. The tusks grow from
each side of their skulls, near the base of their trunks. The tusks are
actually specially adapted incisor teeth, but they aren’t used for
chewing. Elephants can use their tusks to fight with and to dig with.
People used to hunt elephants so that they could get their tusks. Ivory
was used to make beautiful jewelry and statues. It is against the law to
hunt elephants in most countries now, because hunting them made
them endangered animals.
Elephants also have four molars. Two molars are located in their
bottom jaw and two are located in their top jaw. Elephants use their
molars to grind their food. After several years, elephant molars wear
out from all of this grinding. When this happens, elephants lose their
teeth, which are then replaced by another set. Elephants only have six
sets of teeth to use in their lifetime. The last set comes in when they
are about 25 or 26 six years old. When these are worn out, the
elephant starves to death because it can no longer chew up its food.
Elephants have an interesting social structure. They live together
in family units called herds. Herds are made up of female elephants
and young elephants of various ages. Adult male elephants do not live
in these herds. They live in a herd of males, or they roam by
themselves. In the female and young elephant herds, the oldest and
wisest female elephant is in charge. She is called the matriarch. The
entire herd does whatever the matriarch tells them to do!
Name:_________________________________
African Elephants Comprehension Sheet
Use the reading sheet to answer the questions about
elephants.
1. Write three facts that explain how big African elephants are:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
2. Explain how an elephant uses its ears to help keep itself cool:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
3. Explain what vegetation is:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
4. Why do elephants need to graze up to sixteen hours a day?
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
5. Explain several ways in which an elephant can use its trunk:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
6. What are tusks?
___________________________________________
7. What are two ways in which an elephant uses its tusks?
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
8. Explain why an elephant’s molars are replaced several times:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
9. Why is it against the law to hunt elephants today?
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
10. What is a matriarch?
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
11. Explain two things you find interesting about elephant herds, and
tell why you find them interesting:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Name: ______________________________
Directions: Solve the elephant word problems.
Label your answers and show all work.
1. Four elephants drank 100 gallons of water at the waterhole
altogether. One elephant drank 30 gallons. Two of the elephants
drank the same number of gallons. The fourth elephant drank 10
gallons less than the first elephant. How many gallons of water
did each of the elephants drink?
2. Twenty-six elephants each eat 295 pounds of vegetation in one
day. How many pounds of vegetation will they eat in a week
altogether?
3. There were five male elephants that lived together in a herd. The
first weighed 12,987 pounds, the second weighed 11,345 pounds,
and the other three elephants each weighed 11,243 pounds. How
much did the herd weigh altogether?
4. An elephant lived for 32 years. It used up six sets of teeth during
this time. About how many years did each set of teeth last?
Name:_____________________________________
Elephant Heights in an All-Male Herd
Directions:
1. Use the information in the chart to answer the
questions below it.
2. Make a bar graph that shows the height of each
elephant. Remember to label each axis, and write
a title for the graph. Choose the correct interval to
use to display the data in the chart.
Elephant Name
Height in feet
Sam
10
Joe
12
Carl
13
Henry
12
Jack
11
Use the information in the chart to answer these questions:
1.What is the median height in the elephant herd? Remember, to find the median,
you write all of the data in order from smallest to largest. The middle number
is the median number. Circle the median number!
2. What is the mode of the height of the elephants in the herd? To find the mode,
look for the number that occurs the most often.
3. What is the mean (average) height of the elephants in the herd? To find the
mean, add all the heights together and divide the answer by the number of
heights.
4. What is the range of height in the herd? To find the range, subtract the
smallest number from the largest number.
Name:________________________________________________
Directions: Use the chart to make a bar graph.
Title:_________________________________________________
Name:_____________________________________
Elephant Eats a LOT!
Directions:
1. Use the information in the chart to answer
the questions below it.
2. Make a bar graph that shows how many
pounds of vegetation Elephant ate in 5 days!
Remember to label each axis, and write a title
for the graph. Choose the correct interval to
use to display the data in the chart.
Day of the Week
How Many Pounds?
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
175
225
250
250
300
Use the information in the chart to answer these questions:
1.What is the median pounds of vegetation eaten by the elephant? Remember, to
find the median, you write all of the data in order from smallest to largest. The
middle number is the median number. Circle the median number!
2. What is the mode pounds of vegetation eaten by the elephant? To find the
mode, look for the number that occurs the most often.
3. What is the mean (average) pounds of vegetation eaten by the elephant? To find
the mean add all the pounds together and divide the answer bythe number of
days it ate.
4. What is the range of pounds of vegetation eaten by the elephant? To find the
range, subtract the smallest number from the largest number.
Name:________________________________________________
Directions: Use the chart to make a bar graph.
Title:__________________________________________________
Name:_____________________________________
Elephant Weights!
Directions:
1. Use the information in the chart to answer the
questions below it.
2. Make a bar graph that shows how much each
elephant in the herd weighs! Remember to label
each axis, and write a title for the graph. Choose
the correct interval to use to display the data in
the chart.
Elephant
Weight in pounds
George
12,000
Harry
13,000
Chuck
11,000
Tom
12,000
Dan
11,500
Use the information in the chart to answer these questions:
1. What is the median weight of the elephant herd? Remember, to find the
median, you write all of the data in order from smallest to largest. The middle
number is the median number. Circle the median number!
2. What is the mode of the weight of the elephant herd? To find the mode, look for
the number that occurs the most often.
3. What is the mean (average) weight of the elephant herd? To find the mean add
all the weights together and divide the answer by the number of elephants.
4. What is the range of the weight of the elephant herd ? To find the range,
subtract the smallest number from the largest number.
Name:________________________________________________
Directions: Use the chart to make a bar graph.
Title: _________________________________________________
Name:_____________________________________
Elephant Grazes on Vegetation!
Directions:
1. Use the information in the chart to answer the
questions below it.
2. Make a bar graph that shows how many hours
each day elephant spent eating vegetation in 5
days! Remember to label each axis, and write a
title for the graph. Choose the correct interval to
use to display the data in the chart.
Day of the Week
How many hours?
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
12
16
14
16
10
Use the information in the chart to answer these questions:
1. What is the median number of hours Elephant spent grazing during the week?
Remember, to find the median, you write all of the data in order from smallest
to largest. The middle number is the median number. Circle the median number!
2. What is the mode of the number of hours Elephant spent grazing during the
week? To find the mode, look for the number that occurs the most often.
3. What is the mean (average) number of hours Elephant spent grazing during the
week? To find the mean add all the hours together and divide the answer bythe
number of days.
4. What is the range of the hours Elephant spent grazing? To find the range,
subtract the smallest number from the largest number.
Name:________________________________________________
Directions: Use the chart to make a bar graph.
Title: _________________________________________________
African Elephants Comprehension Sheet
Note: Student answers will vary somewhat according to grade level. The answers
provided are model answers.
1. Write three facts that explain how big African elephants are:
They are the largest land mammals. Male elephants can get to be thirteen feet tall.
They can weigh up to 14,000 pounds.
2. Explain how an elephant uses its ears to help keep itself cool:
Elephant ears are almost five feet long and are filled with thousands of blood veins.
The elephant flaps its ears which act like a fan and help cool the blood running
through the veins near the surface of its ears. The blood is pumped back into the
elephant’s body and helps cool it down.
3. Explain what vegetation is:
Vegetation is the plants that can be eaten, such as fruits, grass, and leaves.
4. Why do elephants need to graze up to sixteen hours a day?
They are very large animals and need to eat up to 300 pounds of vegetation a day.
5. Explain several ways in which an elephant can use its trunk:
An elephant uses its trunk to breathe with: like a straw to suck up water; and to
grasp, pull, and lift things.
6. What are tusks?
Tusks are specially adapted incisor teeth made of ivory.
7. What are two ways in which am elephant uses its tusks?
Elephants use their tusks for fighting and for digging.
8. Explain why elephant molars are replaced several times during their lives:
Elephants’ teeth wear out because they use them to grind their food. When this
happens, the old teeth fall out and new ones replace them.
9. Why is it against the law to hunt elephants today?
Hunting elephants for their ivory made them endangered animals.
10. What is a matriarch?
A matriarch is the oldest and wisest female, and is the leader of an elephant herd.
11. Explain two things you find interesting about elephant herds and tell why you find them
interesting:
Answers will vary
Elephant Word Problems
Directions: Solve the elephant word problems. Label your answers and show all work.
1. Four elephants drank 100 gallons of water at the waterhole altogether. One elephant
drank 30 gallons. Two of the elephants drank the same number of gallons. The fourth
elephant drank 10 gallons less than the first elephant. How many gallons of water did
each of the elephants drink?
Elephant 1: 30 gallons; Elephant: 2: 25 gallons; Elephant 3: 25 gallons; Elephant
4: 20 gallons.
2. Twenty-six elephants each eat 295 pounds of vegetation in one day. How many pounds
of vegetation will they eat in a week altogether?
1.) 26 X 295 = 7,670 2.) 7,570 X 7 = 53,690 pounds of vegetation eaten
in a week
3. There were five male elephants that lived together in a herd. The first weighed 12,987
pounds, the second weighed 11,345 pounds, and the other three elephants each
weighed 11,243 pounds. How much did the herd weigh altogether?
12,987 + 11,345 + (3 X 11,243) = 58,061 pounds altogether.
4. An elephant lived for 32 years. It used up six sets of teeth during this time. About how
many years did each set of teeth last?
32 divided by 6 = 5.33, so round down to 5. One set lasted for about 5 years
Elephant Heights in an All-Male Herd
1.What is the median height in the elephant herd? Remember, to find the median, you write
all of the data in order from smallest to largest. The middle number is the median number.
Circle the median number!
10, 11, 12, 12, 13. 12 is the median height.
2. What is the mode of the height of the elephants in the herd? To find the mode, look for
the number that occurs the most often.
12 is the mode.
3. What is the mean (average) height of the elephants in the herd? To find the mean, add all
the heights together and divide the answer by the number of heights.
10 + 11 + 12 + 12+ 13 = 58 58 divided by 5 = 11.60 feet tall average height
4. What is the range of height in the herd? To find the range, subtract the smallest number
from the largest number.
13 – 10 = 3 is the range of height in the herd.
Graph: Check graph. Title should be something like: Elephant Height in an All-Male
Elephant Herd. Intervals of 2 are given. X-axis should be labeled Elephants; Y-axis
(intervals) should be labeled as Height in Feet. Names of the elephants should be
written in the bottom row of the graph.
Elephant Eats a LOT!
1.What is the median pounds of vegetation eaten by the elephant? Remember, to find the
median, you write all of the data in order from smallest to largest. The middle number is
the median number. Circle the median number!
175, 225, 250, 250, 300 250 is the median number of pounds
2. What is the mode pounds of vegetation eaten by the elephant? To find the mode, look for
the number that occurs the most often.
250 is the mode.
3. What is the mean (average) pounds of vegetation eaten by the elephant? To find the mean
add all the pounds together and divide the answer by the number of days it ate.
175 + 225 + 250 + 250 + 300 = 1200
1200 divided by 5 = 140 pounds (average, or mean)
4. What is the range of pounds of vegetation eaten by the elephant? To find the range,
subtract the smallest number from the largest number.
300 – 175 = 125 pounds (range)
Graph: Check graph. The title should be something like: “Pounds of Vegetation Eaten
by Elephant in a Week.” Intervals of 25 are easiest to use to display data. X-axis should
be labeled “Day of Week”; Y-axis (intervals) should be labeled as “Pounds of
Vegetation.” Days of the week should be written in the bottom row of the graph.
Elephant Weights!
1. What is the median weight of the elephant herd? Remember, to find the median, you write
all of the data in order from smallest to largest. The middle number is the median number.
Circle the median number!
11,000, 11,500, 12,000, 12,000 13,000 12,000 is the median weight
2. What is the mode of the weight of the elephant herd? To find the mode, look for the
number that occurs the most often.
12,000 is the mode of the elephants’ weight.
3. What is the mean (average) weight of the elephant herd? To find the mean add all the
weights together and divide the answer by the number of elephants.
11,000 + 11,500 + 12,000 + 12,000 + 13,000 = 59,500
59,500 divided by 5 = 11,900 is the average weight of an elephant in the herd.
4. What is the range of the weight of the elephant herd? To find the range, subtract the
smallest number from the largest number.
13,000 – 11,000 = 12,000 pounds is the range of weight in the elephant herd.
Graph: Check graph. The title should be something like: “Elephant Weights.” Intervals
of 2000 are easiest to use to display data. X-axis should be labeled “Names of
Elephants”; Y-axis (intervals) should be labeled as “Weight in pounds.” The names of
the elephants should be written in the bottom row of the graph.
Elephant Grazes on Vegetation!
1. What is the median number of hours Elephant spent grazing during the week?
Remember, to find the median, you write all of the data in order from smallest to largest.
The middle number is the median number. Circle the median number!
10, 12, 14, 16, 16 14 is the median number of hours spent grazing.
2. What is the mode of the number of hours Elephant spent grazing during the week? To
find the mode, look for the number that occurs the most often.
16 is the mode.
3. What is the mean (average) number of hours Elephant spent grazing during the week?
To find the mean add all the hours together and divide the answer by the number of days.
10 + 12 + 14 + 16 + 16 = 68
68 divided by 5 = 13.6 is the average number of hours spent grazing.
4. What is the range of the hours elephant spent grazing? To find the range, subtract the
smallest number from the largest number.
16 - 10 = 6 6 is the range of hours spent grazing
Graph: Check graph. The title should be something like: “Number of Hours Elephant
Spent Grazing.” Intervals of 2 are easiest to use to display data. X-axis should be
labeled “Day of Week”; Y-axis (intervals) should be labeled as “Hours spent grazing.”
The names of the days of the week should be written in the bottom row of the graph.