African elephants are the largest living terrestrial mammals. Their big ears serve to dissipate body heat and to brush away insects from their eyes. The upper incisors form tusks and the trunk, or proboscis, has two fingerlike processes at the tip. The trunk is extremely sensitive to touch and can be used to feel and manipulate and grasp objects and materials with great accuracy, precision and strength. African elephants are distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, except for South Africa.
African elephants are active both at night and during the day.
They sleep at anytime of the day by leaning against a tree, lying down, or standing. Due to their large size, African elephants must drink water daily. They enjoy bathing, or dipping their nostrils in water holes. They aspirate water into their trunks and then blow it into their mouths or onto their body. They feed on grass, tree foliage, bark, twigs, herbs, shrubs, roots, and fruit.