Elephant
This
article is about the living species. For extinct relatives also known as
elephants, see Elephantidae. For other uses, see Elephant
(disambiguation).
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Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Two species are traditionally recognised, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), although some evidence suggests that African bush elephantsand African forest
elephants are separate species (L. africana and L. cyclotis respectively). Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order
Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. Male African elephants are the largest extantterrestrial animals and can reach a height of 4 m
(13 ft) and weigh 7,000 kg (15,000 lb). All elephants have
several distinctive features, the most notable of which is a long trunk or proboscis, used for many purposes, particularly breathing, lifting water
and grasping objects. Theirincisors grow into tusks, which can serve as weapons and as tools for
moving objects and digging. Elephants' large ear flaps help to control their
body temperature. Their pillar-like legs can carry their great weight.
African elephants have larger ears and concave backs while Asian elephants have
smaller ears and convex or level backs.
Elephants are
herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts and marshes. They prefer to stay near water. They are
considered to be keystone species due to their impact on their environments. Other animals tend to
keep their distance where predators such as lions, tigers, hyenas, and wild dogs usually target only the young elephants (or "calves").
Females ("cows") tend to live in family groups, which can consist of
one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The
groups are led by an individual known as the matriarch, often the oldest cow. Elephants have a fission–fusion society in which multiple family groups come together
to socialise. Males ("bulls") leave their family groups when they
reach puberty, and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly
interact with family groups when looking for a mate and enter a state of
increased testosterone and aggression known as musth, which helps them gain dominance and reproductive success. Calves are the
centre of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as
long as three years. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. They
communicate by touch, sight, smell and sound; elephants use infrasound, and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has
been compared with that ofprimates and cetaceans. They appear to have self-awareness and show empathy for dying or dead individuals of their kind.
African elephants are
listed as vulnerable by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while the Asian elephant is classed as endangered. One of the biggest threats to elephant
populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild elephants 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 put on display in zoos, or exploited for entertainment in
circuses. Elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art,
folklore, religion, literature and popular culture.
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