Elephants

Elephants belong to the family Elephantidae, which includes three living species: the African Bush Elephant, African Forest Elephant, and Asian Elephant! They are the largest land animals on Earth today!

A group of elephants is called a “herd” or sometimes a “parade” — just imagine these giant animals marching together!

African elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild, which is about as long as your great-grandparents might live!

A male elephant is called a bull, a female is called a cow, and a baby elephant is called a calf!

There are three types of elephants alive today: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant, and the Asian Elephant!

An adult African elephant can weigh as much as 7 cars put together — that’s up to 13,000 pounds (approximately 6,000 kg)!

Elephant fingerprints are found on the tip of their trunk, making each elephant as unique as you are!

An elephant’s trunk has about 40,000 muscles — that’s more muscles than you have in your entire body!

Adult male African elephants can grow as tall as 13 feet (4 meters) — that’s taller than a two-story house!

An elephant’s footprint can be up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) across — that’s bigger than most dinner plates!

Baby elephants are born weighing between 200–250 pounds (about 90–113 kilograms) — as heavy as a refrigerator!

An elephant’s tusks are actually giant front teeth (incisors) that never stop growing throughout their whole life!

Elephant skin can be up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick — that’s about as thick as 25 sheets of paper stacked together!

An elephant’s trunk is so strong it can lift up to 700 pounds (318 kg) — that’s like lifting two refrigerators at once!

Elephants have eyelashes that are up to 5 inches long — as long as a pencil!

An elephant’s brain weighs around 11 pounds (5 kilograms) — that’s about as heavy as three bricks!

Elephants can recognize themselves in mirrors — something only very intelligent animals can do!

Elephant herds are led by the oldest female, called the matriarch, who remembers all the best places to find food and water!

Elephants communicate using sounds so low that humans can’t hear them, but other elephants can hear them from miles away!

Elephants show grief when a family member dies and may return to visit their bones for many years!

Baby elephants sometimes suck their trunks for comfort, just like human babies might suck their thumbs!

Elephants can use tools — they’ve been seen using branches to scratch hard-to-reach places and chase away flies!

Elephants spend about 18 hours every day eating — that’s three-quarters of their day!

Elephants are one of the few animals that can work together to solve problems, like moving heavy objects!

Baby elephants learn by copying their mothers and other adults in the herd, just like human children learn from grown-ups!

Elephants can remember the locations of hundreds of water holes and feeding spots across thousands of square miles!

Elephants can remember the locations of hundreds of water holes and feeding spots across thousands of square miles!

African elephants can survive in many environments, from hot deserts to cool mountain forests!

Asian elephants prefer to live in forests where they can find plenty of shade and food!

Elephants dig water holes with their tusks during dry seasons, helping other animals survive too!

An elephant herd can walk up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) in a single day looking for food and water!

Elephants use mud as sunscreen by spraying it all over their bodies!

Elephants create paths through forests that other animals use like highways!

Elephants need to drink about 50 gallons (189 liters) of water every day — that’s like filling up a bathtub!

Elephants use their feet to listen to vibrations in the ground, which helps them detect approaching danger!

Elephants can swim for several miles using their trunks as natural snorkels!

During droughts, elephants can remember where they found water up to 30 years ago!

Baby elephants stay in their mother’s womb for 22 months — that’s almost two years!

A baby elephant can stand up and walk within an hour after being born!

Young elephants don’t learn to use their trunks properly until they’re about 6 months old!

Female elephants usually stay with their birth family for their entire lives!

Male elephants leave their family group when they’re between 12 and 15 years old!

Elephants typically give birth to one calf every 4–5 years!

Baby elephants drink about 3 gallons (11 liters) of their mother’s milk every day!

Young elephants don’t get their permanent tusks until they’re about 2 years old!

Elephant calves are taken care of by the entire herd, not just their mothers!

Baby elephants gain about 2–3 pounds (about 0.9 to 1.4 kilograms) every day during their first year!

An adult elephant eats about 300–400 pounds (about 90 to 180 kilograms) of food every day — that’s like eating 1,200 hamburgers!

Elephants spend about 18 hours a day eating!

An elephant’s trunk can smell water from up to 12 miles (19 kilometers) away!