An
elephant herd like the one pictured above is actually a
big family unit led by the single oldest female in the
group. Scientists call this elephant the matriarch.
She spends her days surrounded by her younger sisters
and by her own grown daughters, both of which usually
have babies of their own. The whole family works
together to care for each other and to protect their
young ones. This means that elephants are one of the
few animals on earth that live in a society of grand
parents.
photo M. Noonan
Three generations being together in a human family is a
common occurrence
This is something
that we take for granted in human families. However, it
is a very unusual trait. Individuals of most animal
species either don’t live long enough, or don’t stay
together long enough, for any individual to get to know
their offspring as adults, let alone to have an
opportunity to care for their offsprings’ offspring as
grandparents. Humans are really very unusual in this
regard.
And so are
elephants. In the group below, the matriarch is the one
on the right. She is 45-years old and very
experienced. Her two grown daughters are standing in
the rear while two of her granddaughters are standing to
her right. Just as it is among people, the presence of
a grandmother like this is a very normal and common
aspect of life among elephants.
photo M. Noonan
An elephant matriarch (right), with daughter and
granddaughters