Asian elephants at Jim Corbett National Park, India

Asian elephants at Jim Corbett National Park, India

© Yashpal Rathore/Minden Pictures

Asian elephants at Jim Corbett National Park, India

This adorable Asian elephant calf, pictured here in India's oldest national park, will stay under the supervision of its mother for several years, although other female elephants in the herd – aptly known as aunties – often take turns to babysit. The social lives of male and female elephants are very different. While females (cows) live in family herds headed by the matriarch (usually the oldest female of the group), males (bulls) are more solitary and leave the group when they hit adolescence.

Related Tags