Largest animals on land
An adult male elephant can grow to be 13 feet tall and up to 13,000 lbs. They are the largest land animals on Earth! Elephants are mammals, which means that they have hair and give birth to live young.
What do they eat?
African elephants are herbivores, which means they eat plants. An adult can eat up to 400 lbs. of grass, roots, and leaves. That is a lot of vegetation!
They use their long trunks to grasp food and gather water. Their tusks can be used for digging up roots and moving things. Tusks are also used as weapons for defending themselves.
Where do they live?
Life in the hot and dry savanna of Africa can be tough! Luckily, the African elephants are perfectly adapted to this environment. Their big ears help to keep them cool. The wrinkles in their nearly hairless skin increase the surface area of the elephants allowing them to cool down. Elephants also love spending time in the water!
Life in the herd
Young elephants and females live together in herds for protection. This is like a family. Herds are led by a matriarch (female), while the older male elephants (bulls) wander alone. Baby elephants are called calves, and they are raised by the whole herd!
Credits:
Created with images by Laurent de Walick - "Elephant" • Peter23394 - "Elephant" • d.mitler - "Relative elephants" • Dave Hoover - "Elephant eating" • Charlesjsharp - "elephant drinking" • Becker1999 - "Drink + Shower" • Scubatss - "africa elephant wildlife" • peter.strauss - "Elephant Playing in the Water" • sheilapic76 - "414236" • Amandad - "elephants mammals herd" • pscholtes - "elephants wild wildlife"