Elephant Underwater
It’s also quite common to see these gentle giants swim in groups as form of a social activity and to stay cool from the hot sun. Amongst scientists, Elephants are believed to be swimming from one island to another in order to find a mate or to simply explore their habitat. It is interesting to note that elephants are the only mammal that can float without any floating devices.
Kissing proboscis elephants and playing in river, Sri Lanka. Cartoon kid animal summer vacation activity at beach. Elephant show swimming and blow the bubbles out of the trunk... Because elephants are so big, they generate a lot of heat. To help prevent overheating, their big ears contain a network of blood vessels. An elephant’s blood cools as it travels through its thin-skinned ears.
The pachyderm’s massive body, very surprisingly, gives them enough buoyancy to float easily. They swim completely submerged, with their head above the water and their mouths below, and use all four legs to paddle. The biggest advantage that elephants have above all other mammals is their trunk. A very versatile proboscis, they use their trunk like a snorkel.
The diaphragm of an elephant is typically $3.0 mathrm$ thick and $120 mathrm$ in diameter. If the elephant were to snorkel in saltwater, which is more dense than freshwater, would the maximum depth at which it could snorkel be different from the depth in freshwater? Yes; that depth would increase because there is less pressure at a given depth in saltwater than in freshwater. Yes; that depth would decrease because there is greater pressure at a given depth in saltwater than in freshwater. No, because pressure differences within the submerged elephant depend only on the density of air, not on the density of the water.
Jonathan’s excellence in photography is rivaled by his love for teaching. Jonathan has also produced an instructional DVD on Photoshop and an online training series on Lightroom. When not working, Jonathan likes to incredible elephant swims in deep water spend his time rock climbing, surfing and snowboarding. Jonathan has been diving since 2000 and considers documenting the underwater world one of the greatest privileges in his life. A newborn elephant calf trunk has no muscle tone. This means that it will have to suckle through its mouth.
African Elephant baby calf crossing with family, Mara river, Serengeti national park, Tanzania. The elephant’s trunk is an extension of its upper lip. As we entered the park, we saw this elephant coming down towards the water. Seemed like a young male, without the well grown tusks, generally referred to as a Makhna. It was quite warm and we thought he was coming down for a drink.
Rajan’s body lies deep within the forests of his adopted home where it will lay undisturbed after 66 years of a truly unconventional life. The largest ever recorded elephant swim was over 22 miles long and took place in India. The elephant trunk serves as a snorkel while they’re swimming, this helps them to breathe while they are underwater.
Baby elephant swimming and playing in the water is a sight that has to cheer you up. In conclusion, elephants are great swimmers and their abilities should not be underestimated. Elephants typically swim for short distances though, but they are capable of swimming for long periods of time or longer distances if necessary. As mentioned, however, keep its strong trunk raised above the water and use it as a sort of snorkel to allow it to breathe even while the rest of its body remains in the water. Hailey Pruett is a freelance content writer, editor, and lifelong animal lover living in Tennessee with their spoiled cat, grumpy leopard gecko, and loving partner. Their favorite animals are lizards, turtles, snakes, and frogs.
Granted, elephants aren’t very deep divers, though they can hold their breath for a few minutes or so in dire circumstances. They strongly prefer to keep their trunks above water as much as possible, and they don’t have much of a reason to swim deep underwater anyway. So, although they can technically swim with their bodies completely underwater, elephants tend to stay at depths of only a foot or two underwater. Swimming is a surprising pastime for many elephants, especially among babies and juveniles!