You might recognize his face before you ever learn his name. Craig, the legendary super tusker from Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, has earned the title of the most photographed elephant in the world. Let’s follow Craig’s journey—from those iconic portraits to the impact he had on conservation and local life. There are stories about his…
It might surprise you, but yes — early humans really did eat elephants from time to time. Archaeologists have found elephant bones with fractures and stone tools nearby, showing people processed these huge animals for meat and marrow over hundreds of thousands of years. You can learn how they butchered these giants, when they did…
Ever wondered how long an elephant stays pregnant? The answer might surprise you—elephants carry their young for about 18 to 22 months, with African elephants often reaching a full 22 months. That’s almost two years! This long pregnancy gives the calf time to grow a big body and a large brain before it faces the…
You don’t need a fancy lab to see how powerful an elephant’s nose is—it can pick up smells from distances we can barely imagine. Among land animals, elephants have one of the strongest senses of smell, letting them notice scents from far away and make clever choices about where to go next. If you’re curious,…
So, do elephants actually like bananas? You probably picture them munching away, right? Many elephants really do enjoy bananas as a sweet treat, but it honestly depends on the type of banana and how you offer it. A lot of elephants will eat bananas whole. Some pickier or well-trained elephants might peel them first, which…
You see a massive, gentle giant take its final breath, and suddenly, everything changes. Vultures and scavengers swoop in, the herd lingers and touches the body, and wildlife teams hurry in, following strict rules about tusks and paperwork. When an elephant dies of old age, its body quickly becomes food for all sorts of species…
You might assume elephants drink through their trunks like a giant straw, but that’s not quite right. They actually scoop up water with their trunks and pour it into their mouths. Elephants definitely drink water, and a single adult can gulp down many gallons in a day, depending on the heat and how active they…
Have you ever watched an elephant standing quietly by a carcass, maybe gently touching a fallen companion, and wondered if they feel sorrow like we do? Honestly, yes—plenty of scientists and wildlife observers have seen elephants act in ways that really look like sadness: mourning, lingering by dead bodies, and showing clear distress after a…
So, have you ever heard someone claim elephants can live for 200 years? Nope — elephants don’t live anywhere near that long. Most of them reach about 50–70 years in the wild, and even less in many captive settings. Let’s dig into why these 200-year myths pop up and what scientists actually know about elephant…
When you watch an elephant go about its day, you’ll notice there’s a lot more going on than just eating and wandering around. Elephants spend much of their time foraging, resting, and trekking between food and water, but they also look after their young, figure out tricky problems, and keep up strong social ties. Their…