World Elephant Day 2024: 7 mind-blowing facts about elephants

Here are seven interesting facts about elephants

Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth, with African elephants weighing up to 12,000 pounds and standing up to 13 feet tall.

Elephants are smart, memory-rich, and problem-solving animals with huge brains. They see themselves in mirrors and show profound emotions like empathy and loss.

Female elephants have one of the longest gestation periods of any mammal, carrying their young for about 22 months before giving birth.

Elephants form tight families under a matriarch. They have strong social relationships and communicate via infrasound, which travels far.

An elephant’s trunk is a highly versatile tool, with over 40,000 muscles. They use it for breathing, smelling, touching, grabbing objects, and even as a snorkel when swimming.

Elephants modify their habitats by making water holes, dispersing seeds through their dung, and removing trees.

Elephants may live 60–70 years in the wild, perhaps 80. Their lengthy lifetime and powerful memory allow them to travel large distances and recall water sources.