The elephant's fan-shaped ears have many small blood vessels through them, which dissipate heat from the blood. The ears can also be used as fans, to keep hot air away from the elephant. The tusks of the African elephant are actually the elephant's incisor teeth. Legs of the African elephant are columnlike, the same width from top to bottom. Its feet are round and have a pad, almost like the one on a cat's paw, to support the leg.
African elephants have five toes on the front feet and three on the back.
Environmental Change Elephants are hunted for their ivory tusks. Therefore, their population is dropping. When they are protected, they usually overpopulate their habitat. Then, some of the elephants, starting with the youth, starve. Academic American Encyclopedia .