The elephant is the largest living land mammal and they continue to grow as they age. Elephants are six to 12 feet tall at the shoulder and the weight can be 5,000 to 14,000 pounds. The skin is very thick and usually gray. They may have light blotches on portions of the body. The forehead is flat.
Asian elephants have smaller ears than their African counterparts.
The most striking feature, besides its size, is the trunk, which is used to pick up and grasp objects as well as for touching and for smelling. The tusks grow continuously and in Asian elephant females, they are very small. Elephants have five toes on the fore feet and four on the hind feet. The skin on the soles of the feet is flexible and soft. Their eyesight is comparable to that of a horse, but smelling and hearing are among their most valuable senses.