The African bull elephant is the largest land animal on earth. The largest known specimen ever was 13 feet tall and weighed 22,000 pounds; preserved, it remains on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Typically, they grow up to 11 feet and 14,000 pounds. Males are larger than females.
An elephant's trunk contains 100,000 muscles. It is used for breathing, smelling, drinking, lifting and holding and is strong enough to tear a tree down and delicate enough to manipulate small objects. African elephants have two features on the ends of their trunks that act like fingers for picking things up. African elephants also have larger ears than Asian elephants, which help them to dissipate heat from their bodies.
Female and young elephants travel in herds, while bulls either live on their own or make up "bachelor" herds. They do not sleep much but keep moving constantly, eating as they go. They are generally quiet but can communicate with each other through a variety of low-frequency sounds such as rumbles, bellows and even squeaks. They will trumpet when angry or attacking and flap their ears when they're happy. The flapping also makes a noise that calls the attention of other elephants.
It takes a lot of food to feed an elephant -- up to 300 pounds a day. They eat grass, herbs, roots, leaves, fruit and even bark, which they strip from trees with their tusks. African elephants prefer the grasslands in rainy season but when it gets dry they head for the forests. Their almost constant need for food is reason for their constant movement; the more plentiful the food, the less they will wander.
Female elephants are pregnant for nearly 22 months -- longer than any other mammal. Perhaps that is not surprising, considering the fact that a newborn elephant already weighs 200 pounds and is 3 feet tall. Twins are rare. Most females begin to reproduce at about 10 years of age and will have a new calf once every four years or so.
