Elephants are excellent swimmers. Males are larger than females. They have very thick, wrinkled, gray-brown skin that is almost hairless. The ears not only hear well, but also help the elephant lose excess heat, as hot blood flows near the surface of the skin.
Elephants breathe through two nostrils at the end of their trunk, which is an extension of the nose.
The trunk is also used to get water and food. To get water, the elephant sucks water into the trunk, then curls the trunk towards the mouth and squirts the water into it. Elephants eat roots, grasses, leaves, fruit, and bark. They use their tusks and trunk to get food. These herbivores spend most of their time eating.