American elephant

The **American elephants** (*Elephas pacifica*) is a species of elephant that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, forests, swamps, open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and deserts across both North America and South America to help boost biodiversity. Like Asian elephants, the American elephants are, in general, smaller than the African bush elephants and have the highest body point on the head. The back is convex or level. The ears are small with dorsal borders folded laterally. It has up to 20 pairs of ribs and 34 caudal vertebrae. The feet have more nail-like structures than those of African elephants, five on each forefoot, and four on each hind foot. The forehead has two hemispherical bulges, unlike the flat front of the African elephant. On average, when fully-grown, males are about 2.75 meters (9.0 ft) tall at the shoulder and 4 t (4.4 short tons) in weight, while females are smaller at about 2.40 meters (7.9 ft) at the shoulder and 2.7 t (3.0 short tons) in weight. Unlike Asian elephants, however, the American elephants have thick fur on most of its body in case of freezing temperatures, while the American elephants that live in warmer environments have shorter fur due to the heat. The American elephants are both diurnal and crepuscular animals, being most active during most of the day as well as both sunrise and sunset. They are classified as megaherbivores and consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. They are generalist feeders, and are both grazers and browsers. They are known to feed on at least 298 different plant species, most commonly grasses, as well as mulberry leaves, conifer needles, legume, palm, sedge, and among other plants. They browse more in the dry season with bark constituting a major part of their diet in the cool part of that season. They drink at least once a day and, in humid habitats, are never far from a permanent source of fresh water, . They need 50–200 litres of water a day and use even more for bathing. At times, they scrape the soil for clay or minerals. Adult females and calves move about together as groups, while adult males disperse from their mothers upon reaching adolescence. Bull elephants are solitary or form temporary "bachelor groups". Cow-calf units generally tend to be small, typically consisting of three adults (most likely related females) and their offspring. Larger groups of as many as 15 adult females have also been recorded. Seasonal aggregations of 17 individuals including calves and young adults have been observed in redwood forests of Oregon and California. The female American elephants, like most elephants, form extensive and very fluid social networks, with varying degrees of associations between individuals. Social ties generally tend to be weaker than in African elephants. Unlike African elephants, which rarely use their forefeet for anything other than digging or scraping soil, American elephants are more agile at using their feet in conjunction with the trunk for manipulating objects. They can sometimes be known for their violent behavior. Elephants are able to distinguish low-amplitude sounds. They can use infrasound to communicate. American elephants, like other elephants, have a very large and highly developed neocortex, a trait also shared by apes (including humans), advanced prosimians, and certain dolphin species. They have a greater volume of cerebral cortex available for cognitive processing than many other existing land animals. The American elephants have cognitive abilities for tool use and tool-making similar to great apes. They exhibit a wide variety of behaviours, including those associated with grief, learning, allomothering, mimicry, play, altruism, use of tools, compassion, cooperation, self-awareness, memory, and language. American elephants head to safer ground during natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes. The conservation status of the American elephants is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts and the American elephant's wide range.