Eunice Morck, age 11, of Tilley, Alberta, Canada for her question:

How much does a baby elephant weigh?

The unborn elephant develops inside his mother's body for 21 months. He is almost always an only child, though once id a while a mother elephant gives birth to twins. At birth, Junior weighs about 200 pounds, which is about the normal weight of two 12 year old human girls. Measured from the ground to his shoulder level, the new born giant is three feet tall.

Junior is not a helpless infant. He can stand on his four stubby legs and he soon takes a few small elephant steps. In a few days, he can walk fast enough to keep up with the herd as they travel in search of food. Being a mammal, he is fed on mother's milk. At the age of a few months, he begins to sample greenery and the usual elephant food. But he depends upon Mama for an occasional feeding until he reaches the age of two. Then it is time for Mrs. Elephant to give birth to another giant baby.