How to Identify Limpopo | The Older Sister of the Herd

Описание: Today we look at how to identify Limpopo, the eldest daughter of Matriarch Tokwe. Limpopo was born in August 2006, and she recently turned 16.

Limpopo shares quite a few physical traits with her mother, Tokwe. The two have similar tusks, head shapes, and even body shapes. As Limpopo grows up, she continues to look more and more like her mother.

As Limpopo is older than the other youngsters of the herd, she has longer tusks than they do. Her tusks resemble her mother's tusks – they both have slender tusks that curve slightly upward and inward. Limpopo's tusks aren't as long as her mother's tusks yet, but they will continue to grow longer as she ages.

Limpopo has a slender body, much like her mother and her younger sister, Pisa. The two sisters both have very sparse tail hair. Their mother used to have sparse tail hair as well, but now has longer tail hair.

Another feature Limpopo shares with her mother is her rather round head. Their heads are not quite as angular as those of other cows, although they do still look angular from the side. Both male and female elephant calves tend to have round heads, but females develop more angular heads as they age.

Limpopo's ears don't have any prominent gaps or tears, but there is a small flap of skin on the side of her left ear, at the edge.

Limpopo's round head and curved tusks are especially noticeable when she's standing next to her adoptive younger sister, Kumbura. You can see that Kumbura's head is much more angular than Limpopo's head, and her tusks are much straighter.

Limpopo is an active elephant who likes to play. She can often be seen chasing impalas around (much to Mambo's delight). She has a curious nature, and she loves to investigate new things.

Limpopo is very protective of the younger elephants of the herd - she's a bit like an older sister to them. She often helps her mother to look after the youngsters. She can keep up with Khanyisa when looking after the busy little calf, and one day she might teach her how to chase impalas.

See if you can start to identify Limpopo among the other elephants in our videos!