Baby Elephants: 10 Adorable Photos and What They Show

Baby elephants are among the most endearing young animals on Earth, partly because they are so clumsy. A newborn calf weighs about 120 kilograms (roughly 260 pounds) and stands around 85 centimetres tall at the shoulder after a pregnancy of up to two years, one of the longest in the animal kingdom. Calves can stand and walk within hours of birth so they can keep up with the herd, but they stay wobbly for days, and their trunks are almost useless at first. It takes months of practice before a young elephant can control the trunk's tens of thousands of muscle units well enough to drink, grab food or spray water.

Calves grow up inside a close family group led by the oldest female, the matriarch. Mothers nurse their young for at least two years, and aunts, sisters and older daughters help guard and care for them, a habit biologists call allomothering. That safe, attentive family is the reason calves can spend so much time playing, splashing and tumbling.

The ten photos and clips below show that early stage of life, with a note on what each one tells us about how young elephants learn.

Water: bathing, splashing and learning to drink

1. Crossing a river, then following mum

The top frame shows an elephant wading through a river, and the bottom one a small calf trotting close behind its mother on the bank. Elephants bathe and swim often: water cools their huge bodies, and mud and dust baths afterwards protect the skin from sun and insects. Calves learn all of this simply by staying close and copying the adults. The pairing was shared on Reddit's r/aww community.

2. A beach day in Thailand

This young Asian elephant is playing in the surf on a beach in Phuket, Thailand, rushing into the waves, flopping down and scrambling back out. The excitement is easy to read, and play like this helps calves build strength and coordination. Elephants on tourist beaches are almost always captive animals, though, and welfare groups urge visitors to support sanctuaries that do not use young elephants as attractions. The photos were published by the travel site Phuket 101.

3. Peeking over the water tank

Only the top of the head, two bright eyes and a dangling trunk appear over the rim of a raised water trough. Young calves often struggle with drinking because they have not yet learned to suck water into the trunk and squirt it into the mouth; until they master it, many kneel or lower their mouths straight to the water. Photographer Robbie Prehn titled this frame "Blowing Bubbles" on 500px.

Friends, siblings and unlikely companions

4. Trunks entwined

Two calves walk shoulder to shoulder with their trunks wrapped around each other, beneath the legs of the adults. Trunk touching is a key part of elephant social life, used for greeting, reassurance and play, much as people use touch and hugs. This image is by wildlife photographer Shah Rogers.

5. One calf on another's back

A small calf clambers onto the back of a slightly bigger one, which carries on as if nothing has happened. Young elephants spend hours in rough-and-tumble games of chasing, pushing and climbing; young males especially enjoy play-fighting. This kind of play builds muscle and teaches social rules they will use as adults. The black-and-white image, "Elephant Fun", is by photographer Gary Brookshaw on 500px.

6. Meeting the birds

Often shared as a calf "playing with ducklings", this photo actually shows small white egrets, most likely cattle egrets, in long grass. Egrets follow elephants, buffalo and cattle to catch the insects their feet stir up. Here the curious calf seems to be testing its new companions with an outstretched trunk.

Clumsy bodies and big curiosity

7. Stuck on a log

Halfway over a fallen tree trunk, this calf has run out of momentum and hangs there with its back legs in the air while an adult stands close by. Calves are top-heavy and still learning to judge obstacles, so tumbles like this are common. Adults usually help with a nudge of the trunk or a foot when a youngster gets stuck.

8. Head in the tub

With its head buried in a metal feeding tub and its rump in the air, this calf looks as if it is playing hide and seek. The setting, with a keeper visible behind, suggests a zoo or sanctuary. Young elephants explore everything with their trunks and mouths, and food bowls are irresistible.

Calves and people

9. A calf that wants a lap

In this short clip a calf backs towards a woman sitting on the ground and tries to settle onto her lap, seemingly unaware of its own size. Orphaned or captive-raised calves often bond strongly with their human carers, which is part of why rescue centres can rehabilitate them. Even a young calf can weigh well over 100 kilograms, so close contact like this is only safe with trained keepers.

Never far from the herd

10. Hurrying to catch up

The rest of the family has already crossed the track, and one small calf scurries after them as a safari vehicle waits. A calf separated from its herd is vulnerable to predators such as lions and hyenas, so youngsters have a strong instinct to keep the adults in sight and will call loudly if they fall behind. Patient drivers who stop and let herds cross help keep families together.

Why these calves need protecting

All three elephant species are threatened. The IUCN lists the African savanna elephant and the Asian elephant as Endangered and the African forest elephant as Critically Endangered. Africa's elephant numbers fell from more than a million in the late 1970s to an estimated 415,000 in 2016, largely because of poaching for ivory, and Asian elephants number perhaps 40,000 to 50,000 in the wild. Because a female gives birth only every few years, populations recover slowly.

If you want to see baby elephants in person, choose responsible safaris or sanctuaries that do not offer rides, bathing sessions or shows, and keep a respectful distance in the wild. Supporting reputable conservation groups and never buying ivory are the most direct ways to help these calves grow up.

Sources: Wikipedia: Elephant (calf development, family life, conservation status). Photo credits: Reddit r/aww; Shah Rogers Photography; Phuket 101; Robbie Prehn, "Blowing Bubbles" (500px); Gary Brookshaw, "Elephant Fun" (500px). Other images: photographers unknown.