BACAANAkimbo and the Elephants by Alexander McCall Smith Elephant reporting Read this report on elephants thoroughly. Elephants Elephants are the largest land-dwelling mammals on earth and they can live up to 70 years. Elephants are brown to dark grey in colour and have long, coarse hairs sparsely covering their bodies. They have very thick skin that keeps them cool. Elephant trunks serve as another limb and they may contain more than 40,000 muscles that help the elephant use it to gather food and water. They also have large ears and thick tree-trunk-like legs to support their weight. There are two species of elephants: the African elephant and the Asian elephant. There are a number of differences between the two species: overall size, ear size, tusks and shape of the back and forehead among others. The basic diet of the elephant includes grasses, leaves, bamboo, bark and roots. Also they are known to eat crops like banana and sugarcane which are grown by farmers. Adult elephants eat 300-400 lbs of food per day. African savannah elephants are found in savannah zones in 37 countries south of the Sahara Desert. African forest elephants inhabit the dense rain forests of west and central Africa. The Asian elephant is found in India, Sri Lanka, China and much of southeast Asia. Elephants form deep family bonds and live in tight family groups of related females called a herd. The herd is led by the oldest and often largest female, called a matriarch. Herds consist of eight to 100 individuals depending on terrain and family size. When a calf is born, it is raised and protected by the whole matriarchal herd. Males leave the family unit between the ages of 12 and 15 years and may lead solitary lives or live temporarily with other males. Habitat loss is one of the key threats facing elephants. Increasing conflict with human populations taking over more and more elephant habitat and poaching for ivory are additional threats that are placing the elephant's future at risk.SOALAnswer the questions based on the text1.How long can elephants live according to the report?2.Name two types of food that elephants eat besides crops like bananas!3.What are the two main species of elephants mentioned in the report?4.Describe two physical features of elephants that help them support their body weight.5.Why might an elephant’s trunk be compared to "another limb"? Give one reason based on the text.6.How does the social structure of elephant herds differ between females and males?7.Based on the report, explain how habitat loss and human activities create a "double threat" to elephants !8.Why is the matriarch crucial to an elephant herd’s survival? Support your answer with evidence from the text.9.If elephants eat 300-400 lbs of food daily, predict how human farming activities could lead to conflict between farmers and elephants!10.Poaching for ivory places the elephant’s future at risk." Propose one realistic solution to reduce this threat.!Write True or False11.Elephants have smooth skin without any hair.(.....)12.African elephants are only found in savannah zones south of the Sahara Desert.(....)13.Male elephants stay with their birth herd for their entire lives.(.....)14. Elephants use their trunks solely for gathering food.(...)15. The matriarch of an elephant herd is typically the oldest and largest female.(....)
Answer (1)
1. According to the report, elephants can live up to 70 years.2. Two types of food that elephants eat besides crops are grasses and leaves (bamboo, bark, and roots are also correct).3. . The two main species of elephants are the African elephant and the Asian elephant.4. . Two physical features that help elephants support their body weight are their very thick skin and their thick tree-trunk-like legs.5. . An elephant's trunk might be compared to "another limb" because it contains more than 40,000 muscles that help the elephant use it to gather food and water.6. . Female elephants live in tight, lifelong family groups called herds, led by a matriarch. In contrast, male elephants leave the family unit between the ages of 12 and 15 and may live solitary lives or temporarily with other males.7. Habitat loss and human activities create a "double threat" because as human populations take over more elephant habitat, it leads to increasing conflict between humans and elephants, and it also makes elephants more vulnerable to poaching for ivory.8. The matriarch is crucial because she leads the herd. As the oldest and often largest female, she possesses the knowledge and experience necessary to guide and protect the family group.9. If elephants eat 300-400 lbs of food daily, they may be forced to eat crops like bananas and sugarcane grown by farmers when their natural food sources are diminished due to habitat loss. This directly creates conflict with farmers, who see the elephants as pests destroying their livelihood.10. One realistic solution to reduce the threat of poaching is to increase law enforcement and patrols in areas with high elephant populations, combined with stricter penalties for poachers and ivory traffickers to create a strong deterrent.True or False11. False. (The text states they have long, coarse hairs sparsely covering their bodies).12. False. (The text specifies that African savannah elephants are found there, but African forest elephants inhabit the rainforests of west and central Africa).13. False. (They leave the herd between the ages of 12 and 15).14. False. (The text states they use it to gather food and water).15. True.
