[134] One study of a captive female Asian elephant suggested the animal was capable of learning and distinguishing between several visual and some acoustic discrimination pairs. [52], Like humans, who are typically right- or left-handed, elephants are usually right- or left-tusked. After its first month, a calf can pick up, hold, and put objects in its mouth, but cannot suck water through the trunk and must drink directly through the mouth. [172], The use of elephants in circuses has also been controversial; the Humane Society of the United States has accused circuses of mistreating and distressing their animals. Elephants are mammals of the family Elephantidae and the largest existing land animals. The long bones of the limbs have cancellous bone in place of medullary cavities. [87] One study found that younger matriarchs are more likely than older ones to under-react to severe danger. The preferred tusk is known as the master tusk. When moving, elephant mothers will touch their calves with their trunks or feet when side-by-side or with their tails if the calf is behind them. Elephants killed around 300 people between 2000 and 2004 in Jharkhand while in Assam, 239 people were reportedly killed between 2001 and 2006. Elephas diversified into new species in Asia, such as E. hysudricus and E. platycephus;[27] the latter the likely ancestor of the modern Asian elephant. Male elephants sometimes stimulate each other by playfighting and "championships" may form between old bulls and younger males. [142] In 1979, Africa had an estimated minimum population of 1.3 million elephants, with a possible upper limit of 3.0 million. [46] Floppy trunk syndrome is a condition of trunk paralysis in African bush elephants caused by the degradation of the peripheral nerves and muscles beginning at the tip. It has a double-pointed apex, an unusual trait among mammals. [26] As with other megaherbivores, including the extinct sauropod dinosaurs, the large size of elephants likely developed to allow them to survive on vegetation with low nutritional value. The ivory itself is used to make a variety of items that are typically used to show affluence, wealth or importance. The looped ridges on the molars are narrower in the Asian elephant while those of the African are more diamond-shaped. The biggest market for ivory is in East Asia. Elephants tend to stay near water sources. This may allow the animal to deal with the pressure differences when its body is underwater and its trunk is breaking the surface for air,[33] although this explanation has been questioned. Elephant ivory has been used in huge amounts to make billiards balls, piano keys, identification chops and many other items for human enjoyment. Is the Coronavirus Crisis Increasing America's Drug Overdoses? They have been observed to have "nursing units" and "juvenile-care units". Error: Error validating application. The seeds are typically dispersed in large amounts over great distances. Appendix II status (which allows restricted trade) was given to elephants in Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe in 1997 and South Africa in 2000. Elephants are mammals of the family Elephantidae and the largest existing land animals.

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