A female Indian elephant standing / eating near a house in Kerala, India
Elephants make up the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea. The Asian elephant is classified as Elephas maximus . Elephant, the largest living land mammal, which, during the Pleistocene Epoch, roamed every landmass except Australia and Antarctica. Two extant species, the Asian elephant, of India and Southeast Asia, and the African elephant, ranging south of the Sahara, are now limited to tropical forests, savannas, deserts, and river valleys. The Asian elephant reaches a height of about 3 m (about 10 ft) and the African elephant, about 4 m (about 13 ft). The boneless, muscular trunk, the most distinctive feature of elephants, is actually a greatly elongated upper lip and nose used to convey grasses, leaves, and water to the mouth. An extremely versatile organ, the trunk is also used to trumpet calls, pull down trees, rip off foliage, and draw up dust for dust bathing. It is also a highly sensitive organ, which the animals raise into the air to detect wind-borne scents. By means of fingerlike lobes on the end of the trunk and by the sucking action of the two nostrils, elephants can pick up and examine small objects.
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Photo credit: © Imagery India / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: asian, elephant, elephas, female, format, giant, holiday, india, indian, maximus, monster, square, tamed, tourist, travel, trunk, tusk, tusker, vacation, vacationer, voyager
