10 Fascinating Facts About African Elephants

For many travelers, elephants are the highlight of their safari. Here are ten facts worth knowing before you meet them.

1. The Biggest Land Animal on Earth

African elephants can weigh more than 6,000 kilograms, and bulls are usually much bigger than females.

2. An Incredibly Strong, Precise Trunk

The trunk contains tens of thousands of muscle units, far more than in the whole human body. It can pull down a branch or pick up a single blade of grass.

3. Led by the Oldest Female

Family herds are led by a matriarch, and her memory of water and safe routes can mean survival in a drought.

4. They Mourn Their Dead

Elephants have been seen returning to the bones of lost family members and gently touching them, which researchers see as a form of grief.

5. Ears That Work as Air Conditioning

Flapping their large, thin ears cools the blood flowing through them, helping elephants stay cool in the heat.

6. Tusks Are Teeth

Tusks are long incisors, used for digging, stripping bark and defense.

7. A Long Life

Elephants can live to around 70 years, one of the longest lifespans of any land mammal.

8. Tarangire Is Elephant Heaven

The Tarangire River draws some of Tanzania's largest elephant herds, especially in the dry season.

9. They Talk in Rumbles We Can't Hear

Deep, low-frequency calls, some below the range of human hearing, carry for several kilometers.

10. The Whole Family Raises the Calves

Aunts and older sisters help protect and care for young calves, making elephant families remarkably cooperative.