Elephant calves might look like miniature giants, but they’re surprisingly unsteady on their feet with legs, ears, and a trunk that they haven't quite worked out how to use. Weighing over 100kg at birth (the weight of an adult giant panda!) and standing almost a metre tall, elephant calves are the world's largest mammal born on land.
In the first few months of life, a baby elephant calf flails at basic tasks more than functions. It takes time, and plenty of trial and error, for them to master drinking, feeding, and even walking, leading to adorable tumbles and awkward splashes at waterholes.
One reason is that an elephant's trunk contains more muscles that the entire human body, with 40,000 muscles for the baby calf to master.
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But there’s more to their clumsiness than meets the eye. Elephant calves learn by mimicking older herd members, slowly building the coordination and confidence they’ll need as adults. What looks like playful stumbling is actually an essential part of growing up in one of nature’s most intelligent and social species.
With an elephant herd sometimes covering 15 kilometres a day, a young elephant has to learn fast to keep up.
In this adorable BBC Earth video, watch as a baby elephant takes its first steps and masters essential life skills while forming important social bonds with the herd.
More about elephants:
- How the elephant got its trunk
- Elephant guide: where do they live, what do they eat and how to identify them
- Asian elephant guide: where they’re found, how long they live, and how they’re different from African elephants
- New study reveals how cancer-busting gene in elephants works
- Best elephant gifts: 7 elephant-themed present ideas you can’t resist