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