Page 76 - World of Animals - Issue #30

Conserving the elephant

Elephants have brains and beauty

There’s plenty going on between those enormous ears

ASIAN ELEPHANT It seems we’ve only scratched the surface when with their trunks and making soft noises, much
Elephas maximas it comes to elephant intelligence; some scientists like how humans speak softly and hug each
Class Mammalia claim they are so similar to us that humans other for comfort. Elephant friends are thick
could learn a lot from the way elephants behave as thieves and mischievously help each other
towards each other. The ability to empathise is clamber over electric fences and remove
often associated with intelligence and mostly tranquilliser darts.
considered a human trait, but the evidence In studies, elephants have been able to
Territory Southeast Asia, India for elephant empathy is mounting. When one distinguish between human gender, age, and
Diet Bark, foliage, grasses,
fruit member of the herd is in pain, struggling to ethnicity just from hearing their voice. They are
Lifespan 60 years climb muddy banks, or grieving for another, able to tell this information regardless of the
Adult weight 2,040-4,990kg there’s a wealth of anecdotal evidence for language they are speaking, and can also tell
(4,500-11,000lb)
Conservation status elephants comforting each other and offering if the speaker means them harm. The ability to
support. If a member of the group is upset, decipher so much information from another
all they have to do is let the others know by species’ voice is pretty impressive considering a

ENDANGERED flapping their ears and lifting their tail and the cat’s meow, for example, sounds much the same
herd rallies round, stroking the herd member as any other cat to a human.
3 things you
should know
about elephants

Due to a genetic mutation, not
all elephants have tusks. After
high levels of poaching, tuskless
elephants are now more
common, as these are less likely
to be killed by hunters.
If an elephant wants to go
somewhere, they will let the
herd know by emitting a low
rumble and lifting their foot
while facing the direction they
want to travel in.
Elephants have amazing
In tests, elephants have been shown
to understand human body language memories and can remember
almost as well as a one-year-old child other elephants they met only
briefly, decades ago.

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