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You have probably seen the image of a cute cartoon elephant with his trunk in a popcorn box full of peanuts! But if elephants were allowed to go to the movies, would they really get it? (I think it would be) whoppers!) Do elephants really eat peanuts and if not, why do we think so? What do elephants eat?
Have you ever heard that the state of Georgia is called the Elephant State? No, me too. But you may have heard it called the Peanut State. Georgia produces about 50% of the peanuts in the United States. Other peanut producing countries are China, India and Nigeria. These are produced on peanut farms and supply the world with peanuts and peanut products such as peanut butter. The point is, peanuts are not a naturally occurring plant in any of the habitats that elephants liveSo the answer is no, elephants don’t actually eat peanuts!
Where did the idea that elephants love peanuts came from?
It was common practice for circuses and zoos to sell peanuts to feed to elephants. So it started as entertainment. This led to the misconception that elephants loved and ate peanuts in the wild. Peanuts are no longer sold to zoo visitors or in circuses to feed elephants. Scientists suggest that peanuts are not a healthy choice for elephants because they contain too much protein. So what do elephants eat?
What do elephants eat?
instead of peanuts, elephants eat a diet rich in leaves, grasses, bark, fruits and more. Below is a more complete list of all the foods that elephants eat.
- Grasses
- To leaf through
- Bark
- Fruit
- seeds
- stems
- bananas (Asian elephants)
- Rice (Asian elephants)
- Sugarcane (Asian elephants)
How much do elephants eat?
Elephants can often weigh up to 7 tons (and the largest elephant ever recorded weighed about 12 tons!)! To maintain that body weight, they need to eat a lot. The average elephant consumes 300 pounds of food every day. In order to do that, they need to eat most of the day and eat 12-18 hours a day! They also need to drink plenty of water to support their systems, so they have been known to consume 30-50 gallons of water per day.
Do animals like peanuts?
Besides my dog who likes peanut butter, are there any animals that like to eat peanuts? Yes, many birds love peanuts and have nuts as part of their diet. woodpeckersCrows, cardinals and jays are known to eat peanuts. That’s why peanuts are often part of birdseed mixes. Peanuts are a healthy option for birds because they are high in fat, making them high in calories and especially useful in the winter. squirrels usually eat acorns for their availability, but they also like peanuts.
If elephants loved peanuts, I’m sure there would be mass exodus from Africa and Asia to the state of Georgia (by cruise ship?), but that doesn’t seem to be the case. There are elephants at the Atlanta Zoo where they report that the treats they like are apples, carrots, sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce!
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