The Elephant

Elephants are the largest land mammals in the world. Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants. They are the only mammal that cannot jump. They live in herds and eat leaves, grass, and tree bark.

They may spend an average of 12-18 hours a day eating. An adult elephant will eat between 90 kg to 272 kilograms (200 to 600 pounds)

of food and drink 190 liters (50 gallons) of water per day.

Elephants have poor eyesight but an amazing sense of smell. They can smell water from up to 19 kilometers (12 miles) away. The ears of an African elephant are about 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) long. Their ears are made up of a complex network of blood vessels that help regulate their temperature. Blood is circulated through their ears to cool them down in hot climates.

Elephants can live to be over seventy years old. They can get sunburnt, so they protect themselves with sand. They usually sleep for only two or three hours a day. Female elephants are called cows. They start to have calves when they are about 12-16 years old and they are pregnant for 22 months.

Elephants can swim - they use their trunk to breathe like a snorkel in deep water. The elephant's feet are covered in soft padding that helps uphold their weight, prevents slipping, and dulls any sound. Elephants can walk almost silently.

Elephants are not scared of mice. They are, however, scared of ants! They steer clear of trees infested with ants, to avoid these tiny creatures crawling up their sensitive trunks.