Elephant

Have you ever “herd” about them? Elephants are enormous, intelligent, strong, and highly social. For centuries, humans have been fascinated by their sheer size—a male African elephant can reach up to 7.5 tons (6.8 metric tons)! Beyond their massive bodies, elephants captivate us with their long, versatile trunks, enormous flapping ears, and loose, wrinkled skin. Stories about these majestic animals abound—you may recall Horton, Babar, or Dumbo.

Though they may appear similar at first glance, elephants are divided into three generally recognized types: African savanna elephants, African forest elephants, and Asian elephants. Scientists continue to debate the number of subspecies or whether some should be classified as distinct species. Here’s how to distinguish them:

African elephants (both species) have large ears shaped roughly like the African continent. Both males and females usually have visible tusks, their skin is very wrinkled, their backs are concave, and the tip of their trunk has two finger-like projections to help grasp objects. African elephants are the largest land mammals.

Asian elephants have smaller ears, usually only the males possess prominent tusks (females have small tusks called “tushes”), a single finger-like projection at the trunk tip, and a rounded, domed back.

An elephant’s ears function as natural radiators. Flapping their ears on hot days circulates blood through countless vessels, cooling their massive bodies. A recent dip in a river enhances this effect!

The word “pachyderm” comes from the Greek pachydermos, meaning “thick-skinned,” and is often applied to elephants, rhinos, and hippos. Elephant skin can reach 1 inch (2.54 cm) thick in some areas. The wrinkles trap moisture, helping them stay cool, while the skin remains sensitive to touch and sunburn. Elephants frequently bathe, spray water, or roll in mud and dust to protect themselves from the sun and insects.

Tusks are elephants’ incisor teeth—the only ones they possess. Tusks serve multiple purposes: defense, digging for water or food, and lifting objects. Baby elephants are born with “milk teeth,” which fall out around a year old at about 2 inches (5 cm). Permanent tusks appear between ages two and three and grow continuously throughout life. Tusks consist of ivory (dentine) beneath enamel, featuring a distinctive diamond pattern unique to elephants, making African elephants targets for illegal poaching.

Elephants have four molars, one in each jaw quadrant, each weighing about 5 pounds (2.3 kg)—roughly the size of a brick. Throughout their lives, elephants go through up to six sets of molars, which grow in from the back, pushing forward worn teeth. Older elephants with worn final molars often prefer soft foods found in marshy areas, which led some to believe elephants select special “burial” grounds.

The elephant’s trunk functions as both an upper lip and a nose. Each side contains eight major muscles and 150,000 muscle fascicles, with no bones or cartilage. Their trunks are strong enough to lift large logs yet delicate enough to pick up a single straw. Elephants use their trunks to grab, pull, push, throw, touch, and manipulate objects, and also to drink by curling water-filled trunks to pour into their mouths.

Elephants communicate using a wide range of sounds, including low-frequency rumbles inaudible to humans. Rumbles, growls, trumpets, bellows, squeals, roars, and even barks convey information over long distances and signal comfort or alertness to others.

The largest recorded elephant was an African savanna male, weighing about 24,000 pounds (10,886 kg) and standing 13 feet (3.96 m) tall at the shoulder. While most elephants are smaller, African elephants consistently grow larger than Asian elephants.

Habitat and Diet

Elephants are social animals whose home is the herd. Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) inhabit scrub forests and rainforests in India, Nepal, and Southeast Asia, often staying near rivers in dry periods.

African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) occupy eastern, central, and southern Africa, ranging from lowland forests and floodplains to savannas and woodlands. African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) live in the Congo Basin and western African semi-deciduous rainforests.

Elephants consume 165–330 pounds (75–150 kg) of vegetation daily, about 4–6% of their body weight, spending roughly 16 hours eating each day. African savanna elephants are grazer-browsers, eating grasses, flowering plants, leaves, shrubs, and small trees. Forest elephants eat mostly leaves, fruits, seeds, branches, and bark. Asian elephants are both grazers and browsers, eating grasses, shrubs, twigs, and bark depending on the season. At the San Diego Zoo, elephants eat over 50 types of plants and drink 20–50 gallons (75–190 liters) of water daily.

Family Life

Elephants form close-knit herds, typically composed of related females and their young, led by a matriarch—the oldest and most experienced female. She remembers where food and water are, helps avoid predators, selects shelter, and maintains social order. Herds may include her sisters and their offspring, splitting into “bond groups” if too large.

Males leave the herd at adolescence, living alone or in small bachelor groups, visiting female herds briefly for mating. Bulls do not raise calves.

Elephants display social behaviors through trunks: greetings, caresses, wrestling, and checking reproductive status. Calves stay close to their mothers for protection and nourishment, gaining 2–3 pounds (1–1.3 kg) daily in their first year. Young elephants practice trunk use, walking, and ear flaring, gradually learning herd hierarchy.

At the Zoo

The San Diego Zoo has cared for elephants for over a century, beginning with two Asian females, Empress and Queenie, in 1923. Today, the Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park care for African savanna elephants. Facilities like Elephant Odyssey and Denny Sanford Elephant Valley provide immersive experiences and specialized care. Positive reinforcement and operant conditioning help elephants participate in health routines, from nail care to saline flushes.

Conservation

Elephants face threats from poaching, habitat loss, and human conflict. Despite legal protections, illegal hunting continues, and expanding human settlements reduce available habitat. Asian and African savanna elephants are Endangered, while African forest elephants are Critically Endangered.

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supports conservation via behavior studies, reproductive biology, movement tracking with GPS, and international partnerships. Projects include Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya, community-based conservation in Botswana, and ongoing studies with Elephants Without Borders, tracking movement, diet, stress, and genetics.

Innovations such as advanced anesthesia and veterinary care allow safe treatment in zoos and wild habitats. The Zoo also participates in the International Elephant Foundation, promoting long-term elephant survival.

By joining San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, supporters help protect elephants and other wildlife across the globe.