The fertilized elephant egg weighs under a thousandth of a gram. In contrast, the adult elephant weighs close to five tons. Three months before birth (at 19 months), the elephant fetus is fully developed at about 140 pounds. But its mother's uterus becomes increasingly cramped as the fetus gains about a pound a day before birth. In its late stages, the elephant fetus is covered in bristly hair to eventually protect it from sun and mosquito bites, and its wrinkles serve to keep the animal cool.
At birth, the elephant can't see, nor control its trunk. Yet it can stand erect in order to reach its mother for nourishment. As an adult, its brain grows to weigh almost 10 pounds, about the size of a football. The brain has the same capacity for memory as humans, helping it remember locations of food and water for as long as 20 years.
Photo by Pioneer Productions
