Elephants are among the strangest-looking giants on the planet, with massive floppy ears, great tusks, and a trunk that inhales water at 330 mph. At Live Science, our expert writers and editors tell you all about the elephant family, from why wild African elephants may have domesticated themselves and how some African elephants lost their tusks after rampant poaching, to fact-checking a viral story about "drunk" Asian elephants, so there are always news, features and articles about elephants to read.
Discover more about elephants
—Elephants: Facts about Earth's largest living land animals
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Zoo elephants form protective ring around young during California earthquakeThe San Diego Zoo Safari Park's elephants raced to protect their calves with an "alert circle" when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck Julian in Southern California.
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Do 'elephant graveyards' really exist?Stories of vast graveyards where elephants go to die only scratch the surface of the fascinating death-related behaviors in these mammals.
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Elephants: Facts about Earth's largest living land animalsDiscover interesting facts about elephants, the highly intelligent and social animals that roam Africa and Asia.
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Elephants say 'hello' to friends by flapping their ears and making little rumbly noisesElephants use ear flaps, rumbles, trunk reaches and other forms of communication to greet peers, new research suggests.
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'Most of Gorongosa's large animals had died': How an African paradise for nature recovered from the ravages of war"Where once there had been more than two thousand elephants, now there were fewer than two hundred."
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'They are very well aware of their agency': Elephant calf burial ritual discovered in IndiaElephant burial rituals have been discovered in India, with herd members placing calves upside down in irrigation pits then covering the bodies with soil.
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Watch a rare pink albino elephant baby playing by a waterhole in adorable footageThe adorable 1-year-old male calf was filmed enjoying playtime in Kruger National Park in South Africa.
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Scientists may have finally figured out how elephants got their incredible trunksElephants appear to have evolved their long, grasping trunks as a result of climate change pressures on their ancestors millions of years ago.
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'It's really quite remarkable': An interview with elephant expert Ross MacPhee about the giant pachydermsIn this interview, elephant expert Ross MacPhee explains how the giant animals' tusks record every week of their lives and why their noses are so remarkable.
