Jinzo X's video: Elephant - The Largest Land Animal Documentary

With a suction pump ability in their trunk, elephants are the largest living land mammals still in existence to date, whiles giraffes are the tallest by height. Why not join us as we explore the world of one of the most fascinating, yet gentle animals in the wild? Categorized into three species, namely the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant, these are the only surviving members of the Elephantidae family and the Proboscidea order. First, the African bush elephant. Being one of the two existing African elephant species, it’s overall the largest living land animal. It’s distributed sparsely across several African countries and has habitats in grasslands, wetlands, and more. Threatened primarily by habitat destruction and poaching for meat and ivory, it has been listed as endangered by the IUCN in 2021. The African forest elephants are the elusive relatives of the African bush elephants. They inhabit the dense rainforests of West and Central Africa, which makes them difficult to count through traditional methods. Their numbers are estimated through "dung counts", which involve examining the spread and thickness of their feces on the ground. African forest elephants are smaller compared to African bush elephants, with tusks pointing downwards and curving outwards. These elephants have a slower reproduction rate than other their relatives, making it difficult for them to recover from population decline quickly. They were sighted in several countries such as the Republic of Congo and Gabon, with smaller populations remaining in other African countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Liberia, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana in West Africa. Last but not least, there is also the Asian elephant. They are the largest land mammals on the Asian continent. They live in dry to wet grassland and forest habitats in several Asian countries, stretching across South and Southeast Asia. Asian elephants are sociable creatures that often form groups of five to nine related females led by the oldest female, known as the matriarch. These groups sometimes join others to form larger herds, especially during migratory seasons, although these associations are often short-lived. In Asia, elephants have often thriving relationships with humans and are considered an important part of their culture and history. They often represent a significant aspect of their history, development, and growth. Elephants are herbivores, mainly feeding on grasses, leaves, and wild vegetation. They also use their powerful trunks to dig for roots or break off large tree branches. They consume for example grass plants and herbs such as wild palms, lianas, and wild bananas. Male African elephants are the largest of all terrestrial animals. Males usually weigh between 5 and 6 tons. Females, on the other hand, are smaller, weighing between 2.5 and 4 tons. Their shoulder height ranges from 7.2 to 8.5 feet (that’s about 2.2 to 2.6 meters) for females and 10 to 13 feet (or 3 to 4 meters) for males. Adult male Asian elephants are generally smaller in size compared African elephants. Their males usually weigh about 4 tons and reach a shoulder height of 9 feet (or 2.7 meters). Females, on the other hand, generally weigh about 3 tons with a shoulder height of 8 feet (2.4 meters). Apart from their physical features, elephants are considered as one of the most intelligent mammals with an exceptional memory and a high level of self-awareness. Their intelligence is comparable to that of primates, evident in their coordination of relationships, sense of safety, and display of empathy for dying and dead family members at funerals, among other factors. Elephants have a well-developed cerebrum, cerebellum, and large temporal lobes. Their brain is larger than those of humans. The cerebrum, which houses the cerebral cortex, ganglia, and hippocampus, gives elephants excellent long-term memory and the ability to remember experiences for extended periods. Illegal hunting of elephants for meat, hides, and ivory have been significant threats to the surviving species. Habitat destruction and fragmentation have also contributed to the decline of elephant populations across continents. From a count of over 2 million in the 19th century, the current estimated population of elephants in the wild is barely 500,000. Narrator: Larry G. Jones