Baby elephants might grow to be one of the largest land animals in the world, but they are only around 200 to 300 pounds when they are born. Did you know that young elephants are called calves? Or that they rely on their mother’s guidance due to poor vision? Read on for 10 elephant baby facts that support just how awesome this giant mammal is!
This post was updated on August 27, 2025 to clarify information on baby elephant tushes, sand baths, and vision.
#10: Baby Elephants Can’t Jump
An elephant calf explores the grasslands.
©iStock.com/slowmotiongli
Elephants are the largest animals in the world that can’t jump. Scientists largely agree that this is due to their anatomy, especially their straight-legged posture and heavy mass. In addition to not jumping, baby elephants can’t get all four of their feet off the ground at the same time. When they are running, they constantly have at least one foot in contact with the ground. This is thought to promote stability.
#9: Newborn Elephants Soothe Themselves by Sucking Their Trunks
Elephant calves suck their trunks for comfort.
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We all know human babies suck their thumbs for comfort. Did you know that baby elephants do the same thing with their trunks? These tiny giants don’t just do this to soothe themselves, though. It also helps them strengthen their trunk muscles and gain better control over the appendage.
#8: Baby Elephants are Called Calves and Weigh Around 200 Pounds When They Are Born!
A tiny elephant follows its mother through the grasslands.
©iStock.com/AndreAnita
A baby elephant is called a calf. Groups of baby elephants are called calves. Baby elephants are far from the only species whose young we refer to as calves. For example, the babies of cows are called calves. In addition, other large animals like rhinos and whales also have babies known as calves!
A newborn elephant usually weighs in anywhere from 200-300 pounds and stands around three feet tall! As they grow up, they rapidly pack on the pounds and will end up weighing up to 15,000 pounds when fully grown. Scientists say that on average, baby elephants gain about 2-3 pounds per day during their early months, though this rate slows as they get older. Now that’s a big baby!
#7: It Takes Elephants Nearly Two Years to Give Birth
Baby elephants are protected by their families.
©iStock.com/TeamDAF
Did you know that adult elephants are pregnant for 22 months before they give birth to a newborn elephant? It’s true! This gestation period makes the elephant the mammal with the longest-lasting pregnancies on Earth. Elephants are pregnant for so long in part because of the size of their babies – it takes longer to develop a 200-pound newborn!Â
#6: Baby Elephants Have to Learn How to Use Their Trunks
Elephants learn how to use their trunks by swinging them back and forth as they walk.
©iStock.com/Udo Kieslich
You might be surprised to learn that a baby elephant doesn’t instinctively know how to use its trunk. When they are born, they lack muscle tone in their trunks, which makes them difficult to control, so elephants must get plenty of practice in to build strength and dexterity in their trunks. Baby elephants strengthen and learn how to use their trunks by playing in water and swinging it back and forth.
#5: Baby Elephants Lose Their ‘Baby Tusks’
Elephant calves lose their baby tusks.
©iStock.com/samnooshka
If you’ve ever had a visit from the tooth fairy, you know it’s normal for babies to lose their first set of teeth. A baby elephant will shed its tushes (or ‘baby tusks’) the same way! Baby elephants aren’t born with any tusk-like anatomy at all; at around 6–12 months of age, temporary tusks called tushes erupt, but these fall out after about a year. When they turn two, their permanent adult tusks begin to grow, which continue getting larger until the elephant is fully grown.
#4: Most Elephants are Born at Night
An baby elephant runs alongside its mother.
©iStock.com/StuPorts
The majority of elephants are born at night. Scientists believe that this is an evolutionary trait that elephants developed to protect their young from predators and to promote a calm environment. Elephants have even been known to disrupt birth when daylight is near intentionally.
#3: Elephants are Born with Poor Eyesight
An elephant calf showers itself with water.
©iStock.com/jfoltyn
Even though elephants are mostly developed by the time they are born, their eyesight is not. Even as adults, elephants are not well-known for their eyesight, but as babies, their vision is limited. Instead of relying on sight, they use their trunks and mothers for guidance to navigate the world.
#2: Adult Elephants Cover Their Babies in Sand
Young elephants are protected from the sun by being coated in sand and dirt.
©iStock.com/gnomeandi
Elephants thrive in grasslands, savannahs, and forest areas where the weather is usually hot and dry. In order to protect their babies from the sun, adult elephants use their giant trunks to shower baby elephants with sand and dirt, which creates a layer on their skin to protect them from the sun. The sand also protects them from parasites and insects.
#1: Newborn Elephants Have Nearly Fully Developed Brains
©iStock.com/GroblerduPreez
It’s easy to imagine that after nearly 2 years in the womb, baby elephants don’t have much more development to do once they are born. A baby elephant is born with a highly developed brain—about 35% of its adult size—which allows it to walk almost immediately after birth, though it may be a bit wobbly.
