How do elephants reproduce?

If a female is fertile, a male elephant will hover around her for a period of a few hours to a few days, mating on and off over that time period. A female elephant has a 4 to 6 week period where she is able to conceive, but she is only fertile for 3 to 5 days of those weeks.

During the time of ovulation, a male elephant will taste the female's urine, to determine if she is ready to breed. Male elephants do not begin breeding before 10 to 15 years of age, as their body does not produce sperm before this time. If conception occurs following mating, the baby will be born in a little under two years.