African elephants are the largest animals that live on land. Adults weigh from about 2 to 7 tons (2,000 to 6,100 kilograms). They stand up to about 13 feet (4 meters) tall at the shoulder. In the wild, they can live up to about 70 years. An elephant mother carries her calf for about 22 months before it is born. A newborn elephant, called a calf, stands about 3 feet (1 meter) tall.
An elephant trunk is strong enough to lift a large tree trunk. It is also gentle enough to pick up a single piece of straw. Besides grabbing and drinking, an elephant uses its trunk to smell, snorkel, spray dust, touch, sort things and make sounds. Smell and touch are very important senses for elephants. Elephants touch each other with their trunks to greet and to reassure one another. They also make low rumbling sounds, and some are too low for people to hear. Other elephants can hear a rumble from more than 2 miles (3 kilometers) away.
Elephants have to stay cool. They flap their big ears to cool off on hot days. Blood flows through the many vessels in the ears. When an elephant flaps its ears, that blood cools down, and that helps cool the whole body. Elephants also spray water over themselves with their trunks. They cover themselves with mud, dust or water to protect their skin from the sun and from biting insects. Elephant skin can be up to about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) thick in places, but it is still sensitive to touch.
Elephants eat plants such as grass, fruit, leaves, roots and bark. An adult elephant can eat up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of food in one day. A tusk is a long front tooth that keeps growing. Elephants use their tusks to dig for water and food. In the dry season, they dig up dry riverbeds and make watering holes. Many other animals can drink from these holes. Elephant dung is full of seeds, which helps plants spread across the land.
Elephants live in family groups called herds. An African elephant herd is led by an older female called the matriarch. Asian elephant herds do not have a matriarch the way African elephant herds do. Other members of the herd help look after calves. When a predator comes near, elephants in a herd clump together to protect the young. Adult male elephants, called bulls, tend to live alone or in small groups of other males.
Elephants are a keystone species, which means they play a critical role in their ecosystem. When elephants feed on trees, they make paths and gaps in the forest that smaller animals can use. Elephants also face trouble. As of November 2026, illegal ivory poaching is one of the biggest threats to African elephants. Their habitats shrink as people spread out and turn land into farms and towns. One idea helps keep elephants away from farms. Fences with live beehives work because elephants avoid bees and fear being stung.
Words to know
- keystone: a key kind
- matriarch: lead female
- poaching: illegal hunting
- habitats: animal homes
- tusk: long front tooth
