ELEPHANT
			Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Species: Chordata Mammalia Proboscidea Elephantidae Loxodonta africana (African); Elephas indicus (Indian)

The largest living land animals, elephants occur in only two species, both endangered or nearly so: the African and the Indian. Formerly there were many species, including the extinct mammoths and mastodons. The African elephant is the bigger of the two. A bull, or male, may stand up to 11.5 ft. (3.5 m) high and weigh as much as 6 tons. The African elephant is different from the Indian because of its large ears, which reach below the mouth, its sloping forehead and hollow back, and its trunk, which has two "lips" at the end. In contrast, the Indian elephant has a domed forehead, a high-domed back, a single lip on its trunk, and much smaller ears.

Elephants are massively built. Their heavy bodies are supported by thick pillar-like legs and broad feet. The remarkable trunk is in fact a long, flexible snout with nostrils at the tip. The elephant uses its trunk for carrying food and water to its mouth, for spraying water over itself, for smelling, and for lifting and investigating objects. The tusks on either side of the upper jaw are extra-long incisor teeth.

The African elephant resides south of the Sahara, in bush, forest or even semi-desert country. The Indian elephant lives in Southeast Asia as well as India, and prefers thick forests. Both species are herd animals. Each herd is normally led by an old cow, or female. The adult bulls live alone, joining the herd during the breeding season. A female gives birth to a single calf after a gestation period which on average lasts 22 months. At birth, the young elephant is about a yard (1 m) tall and weighs some 200 lb. (90 kg).

Elephants sleep either standing up or lying down, sometimes using a pillow of vegetation as a head rest. Their diet includes grass, leaves, fruit, and young tree branches. The broad molar teeth are used to grind the food. As each tooth is worn down, another moves along the jaw to replace it, like a conveyor belt. In old age-elephants live to around 70 years-the supply of new teeth is exhausted and the elephant then faces death from starvation.

In the wild, elephants have no natural enemies, although very young elephants may fall prey to lions and tigers. But their majestic size and the valuable ivory of their tusks has made them a target for hunters and poachers, and the numbers of elephants in the wild has become increasingly lower. Herds survive only in game parks, but their natural instinct to migrate in search of fresh food poses problems. Intelligent, elephants respond well to training. Indian elephants are used to haul logs in lumber forests and are often seen marching in processions, colorfully decorated. However, the African elephant has only rarely been domesticated.