Elephants -Facts

Elephants are able to differentiate between ethnicities and genders, and can tell an adult from a child - all from the sound of a human voice.

• African elephants are the largest living land animals
• Until recently there was one species of elephant in Africa - but they are now classified as either forest or bush (or savannah) elephants
• Forest elephants, as the name suggests, are found in equatorial forests and have straighter trunks and rounded ears
• Bush elephants are more widespread, mostly south of the Sahara in a range of habitats including savannah, swamps and deserts

Grieving: Elephants grieve like humans, shedding tears and taking part in rituals to 'bury' bodies.
And the damaging effects of grief from death - especially of a parent - stay with them for decades, according to recent research at the University of Sussex.
A study has found that African elephants who were orphaned by a cull in Kruger National Park in the 1970s and 1980s are still suffering post-traumatic stress.

Singing: The large creatures use an ultrasound rumble - often too low for humans to hear - to keep a herd together and for males to find mates. By doing this, they can communicate six miles away

Sneaking: Elephants carry out raids on crops when the nights are the darkest and scientists have found that their foraging expeditions in Africa tend to vary with the lunar cycle.
Fewer raids take place during a full moon when farmers are more likely to spot the animals plundering their crops.
It is thought that elephants deliberately alter their behaviour to reduce the risks of encountering humans.

Remembering: Older elephants remember dangerous situations and are able to best make crucial decisions about predators, based on their previous perilous experiences.
When scientists played families lion roars from a loudspeaker, those with older matriarchs correctly focused their defensive reactions on male lions that are the most adept killers.

Pointing: A study published last year found that jungle elephants instinctively known what pointing means - and are the only animal capable of this feat. 

Professor Richard Byrne from St Andrews University said: ‘What elephants share with humans is that they live in an elaborate and complex network in which support, empathy, and help for others are critical for survival.’