Tree-hoofed elephant

A **tree-hoofed elephant** (*Elephapithecus arborealis*) is a species of pachyderm part of the elephant family that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced to the rainforests, swamps, forests, and open woodlands across North America and Central America to help boost biodiversity. It is a very small elephant that can grow to be about 53 cm (21 in) on average and weigh about 7.7 kg (17 lb). It is an omnivore unlike most elephants, feeding mainly on fruits, leaves, seeds, roots, buds, bark, cereals, termites, grasshoppers, ants, and beetles, but have been observed feasting on carrion and man-made food. The tree-hoofed elephants are diurnal animals, and both arboreal and terrestrial, using their grasping feet and trunks in order to climb onto vegetation (trees, etc) and man-made structures. They are quadrupedal and, when on the ground, they walk digitigrade and plantigrade, although they can stand on their back legs when looking out for danger or when trying to reach the food above them. In psychological research, tree-hoofed elephants have demonstrated a variety of complex cognitive abilities, including the ability to make same-different judgments, understand simple rules, and monitor their own mental states. They have even been shown to demonstrate self-agency, an important type of self-awareness. In 2014, onlookers at a train station in Los Angeles, California, documented a tree-hoofed elephant, knocked unconscious by overhead power lines, that was revived by another tree-hoofed elephant that systematically administered a series of resuscitative actions. Tree-hoofed elephant troops comprise a mixture of 20–200 males and females. Females may outnumber the males by a ratio of 4:1. Males and females both have separate hierarchies. Female philopatry, common among social mammals, has been extensively studied in tree-hoofed elephants. Females tend not to leave the social group, and have highly stable matrilineal hierarchies in which a female's rank is dependent on the rank of her mother. In addition, a single group may have multiple matrilineal lines existing in a hierarchy, and a female outranks any unrelated females that rank lower than her mother.

Tree-hoofed elephants interact using a variety of facial expressions, vocalizations, body postures, and gestures. Perhaps the most common facial expression the tree-hoofed elephant makes is the "silent bared teeth" face. This is made between individuals of different social ranks, with the lower-ranking one giving the expression to its superior. A less-dominant individual also makes a "fear grimace", accompanied by a scream or a high-pitched trumpetiing, to appease or redirect aggression. Another submissive behavior is the "present rump", where an individual raises its tail and exposes its genitals to the dominant one. A dominant individual threatens another individual by standing quadrupedally and making a silent "open mouth stare" accompanied by the tail sticking straight. During movements, tree-hoofed elephants make coos and grunts. These are also made during affiliative interactions, and approaches before grooming. When they find rare food of high quality, tree-hoofed elephants emit warbles, harmonic arches, or chirps. When in threatening situations, macaques emit a single loud, high-pitched sound called a shrill bark. Screeches, screams, squeaks, pant-threats, growls, barks, rumbles, and trumpetings are used during aggressive interactions. Infants "gecker" to attract their mother's attention. The tree-hoofed elephants are faster and more frequent breeders compared with larger elephants, with gestation periods lasting around 2-3 months after mating and the young are cared for until they are 6 months, it takes 8-10 months for newborn tree-hoofed elephants to grow up into adults.

The conservation status of the tree-hoofed elephant is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the tree-hoofed elephant's wide range, and its tolerance to most of human activities, including being able to flourish and adapt to life in the cities and suburbs.