The upper lip and nose are elongated and muscularized to form a long trunk. In the early Proboscidea was not open to evolving an elongated nick because of its heavy skull, therefore an alternative in adaptation became a long appendage above the mouth. The trunk enables the elephant to feed from the ground and from trees easily. The large ears act as a radiator for cooling the large compact body. Elephants have a non-ruminant digestive system similar to horses.
Fermentation takes place in the cecum between the large and small intestines.
Diets consist of grasses, leaves, woody material, and roots. About 150 kg of food is consumed each day by mature elephants along with 70-90 liters of water. Elephants require a large home range to find adequate food, 750-1600 km2. Elephants are highly social heard animals. Herds are composed of a matriarchal lineage, or part of a matriarchal lineage.