Elephant
The largest living land animals, known for their trunks, tusks, and complex societies.
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the African forest elephant (L. cyclotis), and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Distinctive features include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, derived from incisor teeth, serve as weapons and tools. Large ear flaps assist in maintaining constant body temperature and communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs.
Quick Facts
- Scientific classification
- Family Elephantidae
- Species
- African Bush Elephant
- African Forest Elephant
- Asian Elephant
- Conservation status
- Endangered (Asian & Forest); Vulnerable (Bush)
- Key trait
- Proboscis (Trunk) and Tusks
Lore & Background
Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. They live in habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They are herbivorous and stay near water when accessible. They are considered keystone species. Elephants have a fission–fusion society. Females live in family groups led by the oldest cow, known as the matriarch. Males leave their family groups at puberty and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression called musth. Calves rely on their mothers for up to three years. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, sound, infrasound, and seismic communication. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans. They appear to have self-awareness and possibly show concern for dying and dead individuals.
Reader's Guide
African bush elephants and Asian elephants are listed as endangered, and African forest elephants as critically endangered on the IUCN Red Lists. One of the biggest threats is the ivory trade, as elephants are poached for their tusks. Other threats include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Elephants are used as working animals in Asia. In the past, they were used in war; today, they are often controversially displayed in zoos or employed for entertainment in circuses.
Did You Know?
- The word 'elephant' is derived from Latin and ancient Greek, possibly from a non-Indo-European language like Phoenician.
- Elephants' closest extant relatives are sirenians (dugongs and manatees) and hyraxes.
- The earliest proboscideans, like Eritherium, lived about 60 million years ago and were much smaller than living elephants.
- Some proboscideans became isolated on islands and experienced insular dwarfism, such as the dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon falconeri.
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