A baby elephant is called a calf. Female elephants are called cows, and males are called bulls. Baby elephants weigh around 200 to 300 pounds when they are born and are about three feet tall. They are almost entirely reliant on their mothers for safety while learning how to be an elephant. Baby elephants drink their mothers milk exclusively for their first year of life and then consume a diet that consists of bamboo, shrubs, herbs, fruits, and roots.