Unusual Facts

The challenge word for today is SELCOUTH = unusual or rarely known facts. I opted to do a bit of research on elephants, my favourite animals and photographed a carving bought in South Africa.

Rarely known facts about Elephants:
1. The word 'elephant' comes from the Greek word eléfas,
2. They evolved in the Pleistocene epoch, i.e. some 2 millions to 10,000 years ago
3. The elephant's trunk is described as the longest nose (up to 8 feet) and has more than 40,000 muscles.
4. Skin of elephant is about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick and covered with light hair.
5. The gestation period of elephant is 22 months, which is the longest of all existing land animals
6. An elephant may live as long as 60-70 years. However, the oldest recorded elephant is 82 years