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Elephants in the wild
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Elephants live for up to 70 years in clan units of six to 70 members, led by a female.
Elephants are herbivores and eat over 220 kg (440lb) of vegetation everyday.
The elephant's trunk has over 100,000 muscles and tendons. The trunk is a combination of the elephant's top lip and nose. The tip of the trunk is very sensitive and has a 'prehensile tip' or finger that the elephant can use to pick up very small objects. The trunk is the elephant's lifeline and they are totally reliant on it for feeding and drinking.
Elephants flap their ears to keep cool. This motion regulates their body temperature by cooling blood that is circulating around the ear.
Once plentiful in Africa, they have suffered dramatic population declines due to the rapid increase in the human population, resulting in changes in land use, leaving insufficient undisturbed habitat and also as a result of the increasing demand for ivory tusks.
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