How long do Elephants live?
Elephants are known not only for their size and their intelligence but also for their lifespan which is quite long. Elephants normally live in the wild for about 50 to 70 years. The oldest elephant in recorded history survived to be 82 years old.
Relationship of Lifespan and Social Structure
The social structure of elephants is of great importance in connection to their life span. Each of the elephants in herds especially the older ones, and chiefly the females, serve important functions in the herd. They have accumulated substantial information about where to move, where to feed, and what threats to avoid, and these older elephants share the information with their descendants. Such knowledge transfer is crucial in maintaining the herd’s existence as it enables the younger elephants to cope with the conditions of their environment. The experienced individuals in the herds are responsible for the welfare and prosperity of the whole elephant population.Life expectancy is determined by numerous factors
Lifespan of an elephant could get impacted by any one or a multitude of factors which stand to include poaching, habitat loss as a result of over agricultural expansion and deforestation in addition to social and family structures. Not only do these threats result in a decrease in the population of elephants, they also forcibly depopulate social structures that are critical for the progress of the species.