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Elephants Animal Themes

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Elephants
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 7
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.51

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		braches, multi-functional, despite, mild-tempered, molars, extension, lifetime, starvation, species, shift, rate, height, pounds, drape, length, dies
	content words:		Male African, Male Asian, Their African, Female Asian

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Elephants

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¹     Elephants are the largest land animals. They are very smart, and they have two flat, large ears, a long trunk, and a pair of long, curved tusks. Despite their size, elephants are mild-tempered, friendly animals. They are also vegetarians. Living only in Asia and Africa, elephants can be seen on grasslands, in forests, deserts, and marshes.
 
²     How can we tell an Asian elephant from its African relative? There are many clues:

• African elephants are the larger of the two species. Male African elephants can reach a height of 13 feet and a weight of 15,400 pounds. Male Asian elephants, on the other hand, stand 10 feet tall and weigh 5,100 pounds.
• Asian elephants have smaller ears, averaging 2.5 feet long and 2 feet wide. African elephants have larger, broader ears that drape over their shoulders. African elephants' ears are on average 5 feet long and 4 feet wide.
• Asian elephants have a round forehead that looks like a bulb. Their African relatives have a low, flat forehead.
• Both sexes of African elephants have tusks. Female Asian elephants do not have tusks.
• Asian elephants have five toes on the front and four on the back. African elephants have four toes on the front and three on the back.
• Asian elephants have a rounded, humped back. African elephants have a straight, yet slightly swayed, back.
• An African elephant's trunk ends in two "fingers" that are used for picking up small objects while an Asian elephant's trunk ends in just one.

Paragraphs 3 to 4:
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Animal Themes

Animal Themes

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Mammals

Mammals

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Grasslands

Grasslands

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Animals

Amphibians         Birds         Deserts         Fish         Freshwater         Grasslands         Insects

Invertebrates         Mammals         Oceans         Polar Regions         Rain Forest         Reptiles

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