06-02-06-031-s

Name: Date:

Subject: Year 6 Literacy Unit: African elephant

African Elephant
Quick facts Diet: Herbivore Life span in the wild: 70 years Size: Height at the shoulder 2.5 - 4 m Weight: 3200 - 6400 kg Group name: Herd Status: Endangered

African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) are the largest land mammals on Earth and among the most ancient. They measure more than 3 m high at the shoulder and can weigh more than 5.4 tons (6400 kg). They use their 2 m long trunks for drinking, smelling, breathing, trumpeting, grabbing things, and for greeting other members of the herd.

In the wild, African elephants can live up to 70 years. They can be found in the rainforests of central and West Africa and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

To help keep them cool in the blazing sun, elephants use their trunks to squirt water over their bodies, followed by dust to help create a protective layer of dirt on their skin. Despite the size of an elephants trunk it can be used to grab small items and pick a single leaf off a tree. There are about 100,000 different muscles in an elephants trunk.

Primary Leap Ltd. 2010

www.primaryleap.co.uk - Primary Resources

Score

8
06-02-06-031-s

Name: Date:

Subject: Year 6 Literacy Unit: African elephant African elephants eat grasses, leaves, fruit, roots, and bark. They travel long distances while searching for large quantities of food that they need to help support their massive bodies. They hardly rest at all.

A herd is made up of female elephants (cows) and their young (calves). Male elephants (bulls) travel on their own.

African elephants are on the official list of endangered species. They are threatened by poaching and loss of habitat.

Primary Leap Ltd. 2010

Score

8
06-02-06-031-s

Name: Date:

Subject: Year 6 Literacy Unit: African elephant

African Elephant
Answer the following questions:
1. Are elephants mammals or reptiles? ___________________________________________________________________ 2. How long do elephants live for in the wild? ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Name three things than an elephant uses its trunk for. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. What are female elephants called? a b Bears Cows c Lambs

d Bulls

5. How many muscles are there in an elephant's trunk? ___________________________________________________________________ 6. Do male elephants travel in a herd or on their own? ___________________________________________________________________ 7. Why do elephants need to eat a lot? ___________________________________________________________________ 8. African elephants are endangered. Give two reasons why this is. ___________________________________________________________________
Primary Leap Ltd. 2010