Mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts all help raising babies. Male Asian elephants live alone or in male only groups. Their diet varies from acacia trees to wild mangos. Asian elephants talk to each other by touch, sound and scent. When a young Asian elephant is stressed and nervous they will go to an adult and place the tip of their trunk in the adults mouth.
Elephants also use a broad range of sounds to communicate.
Males secrete musth, a signal to local females that males are ready to reproduce. Elephants can walk in areas where machines are unable to navigate. About 15,000 Asian elephants are held in captivity as work animals. Elephants are important in Asian folklore and religion. They are believed to be cousins of the clouds and able to cause lightening.