Three living species, the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant, and the largest land animals alive.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?Yes
Domesticated?No
Asian elephants have been working animals for over 4,000 years, but they’re usually caught from the wild and trained, not bred as a domestic form.
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia
HabitatGrassland, Forest, Rainforest, Scrub
ColoursGrey
SizeHuge
Weight2,000–6,100 kg (African bush elephant)
Legs4
Covered inSkin
Lives inherds
Lives for60–70 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Sub-Saharan Africa (bush and forest elephants) and South and Southeast Asia (Asian elephant).
- What it eats
- Grass, leaves, bark, roots and fruit. An adult can eat up to 300 kg of food and drink 40 litres of water in a day.
Did you know
Can hear one another through the ground, kilometres away.
Its trunk can lift around 350 kg, yet crack a peanut shell without breaking the seed inside.
Often confused with
Sources
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Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
