Elephant

Trunk
The elephant's nose and upper lip are elongated into a muscular, powerful trunk. This truly multi-purpose tool is powerful enough to uproot trees but dextrous enough that the two 'fingers' at its tip can pick up single seeds. Elephants can swim considerable distances and, in deeper water, will use their trunks like snorkels.

Tusks
The tusks are elongated upper incisor teeth and are not necessarily the same size. Some adults lack tusks and some have only one. Bulls typically have thicker, heavier tusks than females. Elephants will often uproot trees and then use their tusks to chisel the bark off.

Eyes and Ears
An elephant's eyes are small relative to the huge size of the animal. The ears are very large, flat and roughly the shape of the African continent, often with tears and holes in them. The ears are laden with blood vessels and when flapped, help bring down the huge beast's body temperature.
Feet and Tail
The front feet are roughly circular, with five blunt toenails; the hind feet are oval, with four blunt toenails. The soles are padded, allowing amazingly silent movement for such a large amimal. The tail is thin, up to 1.5 m long, and has a whisk of long, thick hairs at the end.
Visible Male/Female Differences
Females have one pair of mammae, low on the sides of the chest, just behind the forelegs. Both sexes have a thick flap of skin hanging between their hind legs. Males are larger, taller and twice as heavy as cows. Bulls have wider heads and in profile they have a more rounded forehead.

Diet
Very unselective; when browsing acacias they swallow more wood than leaves. In summer, grass forms the bulk of the diet, replaced in winter by woody plants. Intake is about 150kg wet weight per day while water intake is 120 litres a day for an adult bull.
Reproduction
Single calves weighing 120kg are born throughout the year after a gestation of 22 months. Calves are weaned at 3-8 years, just before the birth of the next calf.
Sound

Elephants are very vocal, producing a wide variety of squeals, screams and high-pitched trumpeting which are audible to humans. Seventy-five percent of the vocal communication uses frequencies too low for humans to hear.

Description of Indian Elephants The Indian Elephant is described as Elephas maximus of south-central Asia. They are very large, grey, four-legged herbivorous mammals. They have almost hairless skin, a distinctive long, flexible, prehensile trunk. Its upper incisors form long curved tusks of ivory. The ears of Indian elephants are significantly smaller than African elephants. Understanding Scientific names of animalsThe scientists who study animals (zoology) are called zoologists. Each animal that is studied is classified, that is, split into descriptive groups starting with main groups ( vertebrates and invertebrates ) the Families of animals are also included such as Ursidae ( the family of bears) and the families are then split into species such as Ursus americanus (American Black Bear)

Facts about where Elephants live and what they eat! Elephants are herbivores and eat all types of vegetation such as grasses, leaves, fruits, and barkFacts about Elephants ears Despite the size of ears the elephant’s hearing is poor African elephants have bigger ears than Indian elephants African elephants ears are used to aid ventilation One of the softest parts of their body is at the back of the ears, which is called the knuckle. Elephant trainers, called Mahouts, use their feet to steer or give commands to the animal via the knuckle at the back of the ears Basic Facts about Elephants The name of an adult male is referred to as a bull The name of an adult female is referred to as a cow The name or offspring, or a baby Elephant, is a calf The average size of a litter is just one elephant The collective name for a group of Elephants is a herd The sounds made by an adult Elephant are referred to as grunts, purrs, bellows, whistles and trumpeting Facts about the Size of Male African Elephants A fully grown adult reaches the height of 10 - 13 feet Adult African elephants weigh about 15,400 pounds Facts about the Size of Male Indian Elephants A Fully grown adult reaches the height of 10 feet Adult Indian elephants weigh about 11,000 pounds Cool and Fun Facts about the life, behavior and personality of Elephants The elephant is the largest of all land mammals Life Span - elephants can live for up to 70 years Elephants normally walk about 4 mph Elephants are able to swim for long distances Elephants spend about 16 hours a day eating They consume as much as 495 pounds of food per day They live in tight social units led by an older matriarch Males leave the herd between the ages of 12 and 15 Their tusks are of ivory and are actually enormously enlarged incisors The elephant's eyes are small and its eyesight is poor They have the largest brains in the animal kingdom