Africa

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”
― David Attenborough

Photographing elephants in Zambia Photo courtesy Daniella Sibbing

From this dry river ravine, I was able to safely photograph these elephants. The elephants are unable to navigate the large step down into the dry river bed, making it a protected area

This photographic angle, looking up into this elephant’s open mouth while feeding, was possible from the vantage point of the dry river bed shown above.

Giraffes at sunset on the dry lake bed of Amboseli

Elephants are capable of consuming a wide variety of plant material. Depending on the season and habitat, they will consume anything from grasses, fruits and roots to twigs, branches and tree bark.

Elephants have specialized teeth in order to grind and consume this vegetation. Besides their tusks (modified incisors), they have only molars which are wide and flat.

During its lifetime, an elephant will have 6 sets of 4 molars. As the teeth wear down from constant grinding, new molars push forward. As an elephant ages and its last set of molars wears down, it becomes increasingly difficult to chew and digest food. Malnutrition and starvation are the cause of death for many aging elephants.