Baby Elephant, Khanyisa’s Great & Growing Feet скачать в хорошем качестве

Baby Elephant, Khanyisa’s Great & Growing Feet

From adorable stumbles to slow and steady steps, Khanyisa's feet have undergone a fair bit of change in the past year - much like the rest of her growing little albino body. Read more: https://herd.org.za/khanyisas-great-g... The calf is turning two on 26 September 2021 - an estimated date given by our wildlife vets. She has learnt so much from her adoptive family since the beginning of her integration, including some wonderful fancy footwork! Elephants belong to a group called near-ungulates, meaning that they have toenails rather than hooves. Baby elephants are born with long toenails which need to be worn down by walking, Khanyisa’s are looking beautiful and trim thanks to her daily exercise. Interestingly, the underside of their feet start to resemble the pattern of the dry African ground out in our wildernesses. The cracks form, making a tread pattern akin to that of a trail runner's favourite sneakers or shoes. When sticks or stones creep up into the cracks as the elephants roam the wild, these animals are very adept at removing them by rubbing their feet over tree stumps and the like. They are able to use nature and what it provides as tools to make their lives easier and to survive for longer. Their feet themselves act as tools, for instance digging up sand, but also bulbs and roots to feed on. Khanyisa has been known to use her back feet to throw kicks around and show her power over unsuspecting adversaries like rubber tyres or friends in the herd, like little Timisa. Known for walking with amazing silence despite their massive weight, elephants also use their feet to dig for water and to warn unwelcome visitors by kicking up huge amounts of dust to intimidate. Despite all the incredible abilities of elephant feet, these large limbs do have one shortcoming… Elephants are the only mammals that can't lift all four feet off the ground at the same time. This means that there is no jumping or leaping in the elephant world! While Khanyisa will not be jumping anytime soon, she has certainly gained a spring to her step by learning more about how to utilise her feet as helpful tools every day. HERD relies on funding to cover our operational costs as well as the high costs of Khanyisa’s care. If you would like to contribute, please consider fostering Khanyisa for her 2nd birthday and receive a special birthday certificate, helping us to support, care for and protect her on her journey with her new herd: https://herd.org.za/product/khanyisa/