Editing Elephant (section)

===Birth and development===
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|image1=African elephant, Dzanga Sangha, Central African Republic (18322370163).jpg|caption1=An African forest elephant mother with her calf
|image2=L'éléphanteau têtant sa mère.JPG|caption2=Asian elephant calf suckling}}
[[Gestation]] in elephants typically lasts between one and a half and two years and the female will not give birth again for at least four years.<ref>Sukumar, pp. 259–60.</ref> The relatively long pregnancy is supported by several [[corpus luteum]]s and gives the foetus more time to develop, particularly the brain and trunk.<ref name="pregnancy">{{cite journal|author1=Lueders, I.|author2=Niemuller, C. |author3=Rich, P. |author4=Gray, C. |author5=Hermes, R. |author6=Goeritz, F. |author7=Hildebrandt, T. B. |year=2012|title=Gestating for 22 months: luteal development and pregnancy maintenance in elephants|journal= Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=279|issue=1743|pages=3687–3696|pmid=22719030|doi=10.1098/rspb.2012.1038|pmc= 3415912}}</ref> Births tend to take place during the wet season.<ref name="Sukumar, p. 262"/> Typically, only a single young is born, but twins sometimes occur.<ref name="pregnancy"/> Calves are born roughly {{convert|85|cm|in|abbr=on}} tall and with a weight of around {{convert|120|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Shoshani106>Moss, pp. 106–13.</ref> They are [[precocial]] and quickly stand and walk to follow their mother and family herd.<ref name=Sukumar126 /> A newborn calf will attract the attention of all the herd members. Adults and most of the other young will gather around the newborn, touching and caressing it with their trunks. For the first few days, the mother limits access to her young. [[Alloparenting]] – where a calf is cared for by someone other than its mother – takes place in some family groups. Allomothers are typically aged two to twelve years.<ref name=Shoshani106 />

For the first few days, the newborn is unsteady on its feet and needs its mother's help. It relies on touch, smell, and hearing, as its eyesight is less developed. With little coordination in its trunk, it can only flop it around which may cause it to trip. When it reaches its second week, the calf can walk with more balance and has more control over its trunk. After its first month, the trunk can grab and hold objects but still lacks sucking abilities, and the calf must bend down to drink. It continues to stay near its mother as it is still reliant on her. For its first three months, a calf relies entirely on its mother's milk, after which it begins to forage for vegetation and can use its trunk to collect water. At the same time, there is progress in lip and leg movements. By nine months, mouth, trunk, and foot coordination are mastered. Suckling bouts tend to last 2–4 min/hr for a calf younger than a year. After a year, a calf is fully capable of grooming, drinking, and feeding itself. It still needs its mother's milk and protection until it is at least two years old. Suckling after two years may improve growth, health, and fertility.<ref name=Sukumar126>Sukumar, pp. 126–29.</ref>

Play behaviour in calves differs between the sexes; females run or chase each other while males play-fight. The former are [[sexually mature]] by the age of nine years<ref name=Shoshani106 /> while the latter become mature around 14–15 years.<ref name=Sukumar179 /> Adulthood starts at about 18 years of age in both sexes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elephant Life Cycle|publisher=ElephantsForever.co.za|url=http://www.elephantsforever.co.za/life-cycle.html|access-date=21 June 2014|archive-date=29 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929112616/http://www.elephantsforever.co.za/life-cycle.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Elephant Life Cycle – Adolescence|publisher=ElephantsForever.co.za|url=http://www.elephantsforever.co.za/life-cycle-adolescence.html|access-date=21 June 2014|archive-date=30 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530064627/http://www.elephantsforever.co.za/life-cycle-adolescence.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Elephants have long lifespans, reaching 60–70 years of age.<ref name=Shoshani70 /> [[Lin Wang]], a captive male Asian elephant, lived for 86 years.<ref>{{cite news|title=War veteran elephant dies|work=BBC News|date=26 February 2003|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2800737.stm|access-date=8 January 2013|archive-date=12 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112161638/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2800737.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>