Paid Post

11 Ways Elephants Are The Most Amazing Creatures On The Planet

Now these are some magical creatures. Help conserve and protect them with the TOMS Animal Initiative.

TOMS
by TOMS

Brand Publisher

1. Elephants always put family first.

cheezburger.com

Elephants live in herds led by matriarchs, and these herds have incredibly tight family bonds.

2. They're also one of the few species that can actually recognize themselves in the mirror.

shutterstock.com

Like humans, great apes, magpies, and dolphins, elephants can pass the mirror test.

3. Their memories are incredible!

thinkstockphotos.com

Elephants are considered to be highly intelligent animals, with strong memories that can store information from years past.

4. Elephant herds have their own secret language.

black-and-white-gifs.tumblr.com

Studies suggest that elephants use subtle movements and gestures to communicate with one another. A simple curl of the trunk can represent a very civilized language.

5. And they have feelings and emotions too!

gifak-net.tumblr.com

Through various research, they've shown signs of grief, joy, anger, and play.

6. When it comes to food, elephants only eat plants.

shutterstock.com

They're herbivores and can spend up to 16 hours a day collecting plants to chow down on later.

7. They're also really strong swimmers.

shutterstock.com

Their trunks are not only used to gather food and water, but also to inhale like a snorkel underwater.

8. Elephants are pregnant for a whole TWO YEARS.

shutterstock.com

They are pregnant for about 22 months, the longest gestation period of any land animal.

9. When they die, elephants actually mourn and have funerals for each other.

MOF / Vetta / gettyimages.com

Elephants are such compassionate, tightly-knit animals that when a fellow elephant dies, a family will stop and perform a meaningful ritual in their honor.

10. All of this makes complete sense, since they have the largest brains in the animal kingdom!

shutterstock.com

Three times as big as the human brain!

11. Finally, elephants use their ears for air conditioning.

youtube.com / Via sploid.gizmodo.com / France 3

Filled with hundreds of small, intricate veins, elephant ears not only hear things, but also act as an inner cooling system.

Elephants are sadly threatened by poachers and habitat destruction. Learn more about TOMS Animal Initiative to drive awareness and funding for wild animals.