| hear are some pictures of elephants Elephants belong to the
family Elephantidae. They are the largest land animals in the
world. They have the biggest brain (12 pounds), the thickest
skin (1 inch) and the longest nose (their trunk is about 8
feet). Their waistline is about 16 feet. Elephants belong to the
order of Proboscidae, named for their trunks. Around 1 million
years ago there were 11 species of proboscidean. Soon most of
these species disappeared and only 3 survived: the mammoth
(which became extinct 3,000-4,000 years ago) and the African and
Asian elephants. The African Elephant species is divided into
two subspecies: the forest and the savannah. The forest elephant
is smaller, has downward-pointed tusks, and smaller, rounder
ears. The savannah elephant is larger and more widespread.
African elephants weigh up to 14,000 pounds. They have big ears,
two-fingered trunks, concave backs, flat foreheads and large
tusks. There are about 420,000 African elephants spread out over
37 African countries. They a