Elephants are the biggest and strongest of all land living animals With their trunks tusks and giant ears they look like no other animal 3 The African elephant is the largest land animal Its long trunk and large ears make it unmistakable As well as being powerful elephants are intelligent They have large brains that grow through youth making them very good at learning In fact they display some behaviors seen in few other animals Elephants are mammals like we are They make caring mothers showing great care toward their young There are two different types species of elephants One type lives in Africa and the other lives in Asia Introduction
5 ELEPHANTS Using tools Elephants often use tools Wild elephants have been seen using twigs and branches to brush away flies or scratch themselves Elephants are the only animals apart from monkeys and other primates that can throw things Using their trunk like an arm they sometimes pick up objects and hurl them at other animals or people Elephants are social animals They all spend at least part of their lives in groups Some elephants never leave the groups they were born into In this book you will learn all about how elephants live together Later on you will find out more about just what makes them such special animals 2 This Asian elephant has just used its trunk to suck up some water for a drink The elephant’s trunk An elephant’s trunk is a combination of its nose and its upper lip It contains lots of different muscles making it flexible and easy to maneuver Elephants use their trunks to pick up food suck up water caress one another fight smell and make trumpeting calls
