Elephants are incredible creatures. The largest mammals on earth; their brains are larger than any other land animals. They are also very intelligent and strong. Scientists have determined elephants are capable of a wide variety of behaviors including those associated with grief, altruism, play, compassion and self-awareness. Because hunting and loss of habitat are threats to elephants, many people around the world have created elephant sanctuaries and habitats.

There are currently three living species of elephants: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant or Indian Elephant. Other species such as the mammoths existed before the last ice age but are now extinct. For more information on elephant species, read National Geographic magazine.

Elephants live in a structured social order. While females spend their entire lives in tight-knit family groups made up of mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts, males live mostly solitary lives. The elephant's gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. Newborn elephant calves weigh on average 260 pounds. Elephants typically live for 50 to 70 years.

Elephants are herbivores and spend about 16 hours a day finding and eating food. Their diet consists of grasses, leaves, bamboo, twigs, bark, roots and small amounts of fruits, seeds and flowers. Interestingly, elephants only digest 40% of what they eat; an adult elephant can consume 300–600 lb of food a day.

Elephant skin is thick, grey and wrinkled. The wrinkles help elephants stay cool because water gets trapped inside the wrinkles and evaporates slowly. Their hearing is keen and they can detect noise from miles away.

One of the most distinct physical attributes of elephants is their tusks. Elephants use their tusks to dig for food, mark their territory and other tasks. Elephants’ tusks are made of ivory. The desire for elephant ivory is one of the major reasons people hunt elephants and thus have significantly destroyed the world's elephant population. For this reason and many others, many people around the world are working hard to protect the species from further extinction.

One such group is The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, which provides refuge for old, sick or needy endangered African and Asian elephants. The Sanctuary is the U.S.’s largest natural habitat for elephants.

Another effort to preserve elephants is the recently opened Elephant Odyssey exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, which is home to seven Asian elephants. Visiting the San Diego Zoo or a local zoo is a great way to teach kids about elephants and other wonderful creatures. Also, there are many great kids’ magazines that teach children about wild animals including Zoobooks, Zootles, Wild Animal Baby and Zoobies.

Still, the International Fund for Animal Welfare recently partnered with the government of Malawi, Africa to rescue 60 elephants endangered by local farmers.