The elephant is the largest living land animal. The elephant is the heaviest, too. Elephants are mammals. They are mammals because they are warm blooded.

They have a thin tail and round feet. They live about 60-70 years. They weigh 5-7.5 tons and grow 3-4 meters at the shoulder. They live in herds. The elephants have large ears so they can hear, small eyes so they can see, grey skin and trunks so they can eat and drink. The elephant uses his trunk to take water from pond or seas and put it in his mouth to drink or put it on his body so he cools down. They spent all day eating. Did you know that the elephant's trunks are strong and flexible? Elephants can swim and they are 150,000 muscled units. An elephant's tusk is tall like a person. Tusks are made from ivory.

Around 90% of African elephants have been wiped out in the past century-largely due to the ivory trade-leaving an estimated 415,000 wild elephants alive today. Elephants are hunted for their ivory tusks which is used to make ornaments. If they continue hunting elephant, they could become extinct.