Elephants eat almost anything green, but green grass, shoots
and buds of trees and shrubs are preferred. Farms are often
raided for fruits and vegetables of all types. Average daily
consumption of water for full-grown animals is between 30 and 50
gallons.
Tusks are elongated second upper incisors and grow throughout
the lifetime. They are used for food gathering and carrying, as
well as weapons. The trunk is an elongation of the nose and upper
lip; in adults it contains 40,000 to 100,000 muscles. Literally
the animal's lifeline, it is used for eating, drinking, dust and
water bathing, as well as communication. The sense of smell is
highly sophisticated; they are believed to locate underground
water by smelling the earth above. Their vision is very poor.
Long lashes protect the eyes from dust. Hearing is acute. Ears
are also used to control body temperature; blood circulating
through the large vessels in the ears is cooled by flapping.
The skin is extremely sensitive to sunburn and insect bites;
they roll in dust and mud and throw dust on their backs to help
protect their skin. Elephants have the largest brain size versus
body weight other than man.
The elephants are becoming endangered because of loss of
habitat and because of poaching for ivory. So remember that if
they do no harm leave them alone.