African elephant

The largest animal on land

The elephant is the largest animal on land. It weighs 6 tonnes — as much as 100 children! An elephant's trunk has 40,000 muscles — it drinks with it, showers with it, and can even pick up a single peanut. Elephants are very clever: they remember friends and cry when they're sad.

The African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest land mammal: 3.3 m at the shoulder and up to 6 tonnes. The trunk is a fused nose and upper lip with over 40,000 muscles. Its big ears cool the body (blood vessels release heat). Elephants live in matriarchal families led by the oldest female and 'talk' over kilometres using infrasound. An elephant eats 150 kg of plants a day and shapes the savanna by spreading seeds — which is why it's called an 'ecosystem engineer'. Poaching for ivory has cut numbers from 1.3 million in 1979 to about 415,000 today.

Fun facts

• The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump!
• Elephants recognise each other even after 20 years — they have amazing memories.
• Baby elephants suck their trunks until they learn to use them — just like children suck their thumbs.
• An elephant drinks 200 litres of water a day — a whole bathtub.