About This Animal

1. Biggest Land Animals: Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. African elephants can weigh up to 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg)!
2. Long Trunks: An elephant's trunk is like a big, flexible nose. They use it to smell, breathe, trumpet, drink, and grab things.
3. Large Ears: Elephants have big ears that help them stay cool. They flap their ears to fan themselves and reduce their body temperature.
4. Social Animals: Elephants are very social and live in groups called herds. A herd is usually led by a female elephant known as a matriarch.
5. Thick Skin: Their skin can be up to 1 inch thick, but it's also very sensitive. Elephants like to cover themselves with mud to protect their skin from the sun and insects.
6. Long Lifespan: Elephants can live for a long time, often 60-70 years in the wild.
7. Vegetarians: Elephants are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. They spend most of their day eating grasses, leaves, fruits, and bark.
8. Intelligent Creatures: Elephants are very smart and have excellent memories. They can remember places, recognize themselves in mirrors, and even show empathy for other elephants.
9. Baby Elephants: Baby elephants are called calves. A calf can weigh around 220 pounds (100 kg) at birth and will drink its mother's milk for up to two years.
10. Communication: Elephants communicate with each other using sounds like trumpets, growls, and rumbles. They can even make sounds too low for humans to hear, called infrasound.