34 Elephant Facts For Kids

1. Elephants are large mammals that are members of the Elephantidae family.
2. Elephants are easy recognizable by their long trunks, ivory tusks, and big floppy ears.
3. Elephants are the largest living terrestrial (land) animals.
4. There are currently three living species of elephants in the Elephantidae family, the African bush elephant (Loxodonta Africana), the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus).
5. Elephants can be found in Africa and Asia depending on the elephant species.
6. Elephants are found in a wide variety of habitats, like grasslands and evergreen forests.
7. There were an estimated 497,000 elephants living in the wild in 2022.
8. Elephants are herbivores that eat vegetation (trees, shrubs, etc.).
9. The average male African bush elephant weighs 6 tons.
10. The average female African bush elephant weights 3 tons.
11. The average height of a male African bush elephant is 10.5 feet.
12. The average height of a female African bush elephant is 8.6 feet.
13. The average weight of a male and female African forest elephant is between 2 and 4 tons.
14. The average height of a male African forest elephant is between 7.10 and 9.10 feet.
15. The average height of a female African forest elephant is between 5.11 and 7.10 feet.
16. The average male Asian elephant weighs 4 tons.
17. The average female Asian elephant weights 3 tons.
18. The average height of a male Asian elephant is 9 feet.
19. The average height of a female Asian elephant is 7.9 feet.
20. The average lifespan of an elephant in the wild is between 60 and 70 years.
21. A male elephant is called a bull, a female elephant is called a cow and a juvenile elephant is called a calf.
22. Elephants use their trunks to grab objects, bring water and food to their mouth and most importantly to breath.
23. Elephant use their tusks for digging, moving objects, and fighting other elephants.
24. Elephants use their big floppy ears for more than just hearing, they flap them to help cool off and maintain their body temperature.
25. Once an elephant is fully grown their size makes them almost invulnerable to predators.
26. An elephant’s heart can weigh between 26 and 46 pounds, depending on gender and species.
27. The average elephant has between 326 and 351 bones depending on the species.
28. Research into elephant intelligence has shown they could have cognition and self-awareness.
29. A pregnant female elephant will carry their baby for about two years before giving birth.
30. Elephants are popular with humans, making them a common exhibit in zoos and circuses.
31. Elephants were used in warfare in ancient times. Alexander the Great’s army had to fight war elephants during his Indian campaign in 326 BCE.
32. One of the most famous circus elephants was Jumbo the Elephant, a male African bush elephant from Sudan, Africa.
33. All three living species of elephants are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
34. The biggest threats to elephants are humans, through poaching for their ivory and destruction of their habitats.

Elephant Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on elephants. Below are six pictures of various elephants. These pictures should help you better understand the massive gently giants.

---