I
always find elephant mating pictures amazing – just imagine the
effort required from the bull to lift his 5-ton body onto the cow -
a height of over 2 metres (6.5’) during the mating process.
Females become sexually mature at about 13 years. The males reaches
sexual maturity at 14 years but won’t start mating until he’s
matured a bit on other levels first. The older an elephant bull, the
more successful he is in his mating endeavours.
A
lot can be said about musth, the sexual cycle of the bull elephant.
Suffice to say here it is not a prerequisite to sexual activity in
African elephants, but the musth period is a time of increased
sexual energy and aggression, so chances are better that they will
mate during this 3-4 month period.
When a female elephant goes into oestrus (4-6 days at a time), she
will constantly be on the lookout for a potential mate. As a
suitable bull approaches the herd she’s part of, she will start
moving away, her tail held high, and look back periodically to see
if he’s following her.
Once she’s managed to lure a bull away, he will keep chasing her
until she comes to a standstill at a suitably secluded spot, away
from the herd.
The
male will first caress the female’s head and neck with his trunk,
until eventually he levers himself onto his hind legs, mount and
subsequently penetrate the cow. He will usually stay mounted for
just under a minute.
Sometimes elephant mating will also take place in the water, even among other
herd members – as can be seen in the video clip above.
Should mating be successful, a gestation period of 656 days follows
– almost 2 years!
