Photo Gallery: Elephants

Forest Elephant at Sunset

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Forest elephants are a second species of elephant found only in Africa.

Elephant Covered in Mud

Photograph by Chris Johns

Elephants, like this crusty specimen, will frequently shower themselves with water then spray their skin with a protective coating of dust.

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Baby Asian Elephant in Tall Grass

Photograph by William Albert Allard

Baby elephants are born big, standing approximately three feet (one meter) tall and weighing 200 pounds (91 kilograms) at birth. They nurse for two to three years, and are fully mature at 9 (females) to 15 (males) years of age.

African Forest Elephant

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Forest elephants were reclassified as an entirely different species of elephant from their African savanna counterparts.

African Elephant With Her Calf

Photograph by Norbert Rosing

A female elephant walks with her calf on the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. Females and their young live in herds, while males tend to be solitary.

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Asian Elephant Eating

Photograph by Tim Laman

Asian elephants, smaller than their African cousins, are highly endangered. The subspecies shown here is found only on Borneo and faces threats from the conversion of their forest habitat to agricultural use.

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African Elephant

Photograph by Beverly Joubert

African elephants are the largest of Earth's land mammals. Their enormous ears help them to keep cool in the hot African climate.