| Elephant is the largest living land animal in the earth | | | | tusks to dig for water, roots and salts to maintain |
| today and they can be categorized into three major | | | | hydration of body. With these tusks the elephants |
| types. African bush elephant, African forest elephant | | | | can even debug trees and branches. These tusks are |
| and Asian elephant are the three main types of | | | | even used as weapons. Teeth of the elephant highly |
| elephants. Asian elephants are also popularly known | | | | differ from teeth of other mammals. There are no |
| as Indian elephants. In Asian countries, elephants are | | | | baby teeth in case of elephants; the teeth remain |
| often worshipped and are considered as sign of | | | | throughout its life. Elephant skins are tough and |
| wisdom. Elephants are also used for elephant safari | | | | around 2.5 cm thick. But, the skin, near to ears and |
| and wildlife tours. Though it is an animal, studies | | | | mouth are very thin and soft. Legs are like strong |
| revealed that memory and intelligence of elephants | | | | pillars and the feet are almost round. |
| are high. | | | | The elephants can swim and climb to some extent |
| Today, numbers of elephants are decreasing as a | | | | but they hardly have any other movements. Usually |
| result of human intrusion inside different forests. At | | | | an elephant spends around sixteen hours per day to |
| present it is a protected species in most of the | | | | accumulate food. In terms of body mass, an elephant |
| countries. Actually African and Asian elephants are | | | | is almost five times than a human being. The largest |
| different species, the African elephants are bigger in | | | | areas of elephant's brain are used for hearing |
| size compared to the Asian ones and the sizes of | | | | purposes. It is indeed an interesting fact to note that |
| the ears are much larger. On the basis of genetic | | | | the hearing receptors are located inside the trunk. |
| differences, the African elephants are further | | | | And again in feet, which have special receptors for |
| classified into two major types. Both kinds of these | | | | low frequency sound and these are exceptionally well |
| elephants are basically herbivores. | | | | innervated. |
| Trunk of elephant is the fusion of upper lip and the | | | | Elephants have high level of self-awareness and they |
| nose. Few biologists suggested that, the elephant's | | | | are very cautious about the surrounding environment. |
| trunk muscles are sensitive enough to pick up a single | | | | With repeated elephant hunting over the centuries, |
| blade of grass, and the trunks are strong enough to | | | | today elephants are under threat of extinction. |
| rip the branches off a tree. The second upper | | | | Elephants play a crucial role in maintaining ecological |
| incisors are the tusks and these tusks grow | | | | balance, so preservation of elephant is indeed crucial. |
| continuously. An adult elephant's tusk can grow even | | | | ...................................... |
| seven inches per year. The elephants use these | | | | |