The giants of all land animals, African elephants are among the smartest mammals on earth. They live in large, complex family groups that cooperate in the raising of young.
Females spend their entire life with the same family group.
Weighing up to seven tons, these animals require hundreds of pounds, literally, of food a day. Constantly on the move searching for food, wild elephants can eat between 200 - 1000 pounds of food a day. In addition to oat hay and alfalfa, the elephants receive fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and apples. To control their body temperature, the elephants flap their large ears which contain large blood vessels. They may also choose to go for a dip in a pond or splash mud over their bodies.