Imagine trying to survive in grasslands and forests in Africa. For many animals, a habitat like this would be impossible. Yet the African elephant, a mammal up to 4 meters tall at the shoulder, thrives there, thanks to features that scientists call adaptations: traits that help a living thing survive in its environment.
Consider a long trunk with more than 40,000 muscles: this adaptation lets it grab food, drink water and greet other elephants. The word trunk refers to an elephant's long nose and upper lip. Equally important is huge, thin ears, which flap to cool its body on hot days. Without these traits, the African elephant would struggle to last a single season.
As a herbivore, the African elephant is an animal that eats only plants; it depends on grasses, leaves, bark and fruit. Its behavior matters as much as its body: it lives in close family groups led by the oldest female. Behaviors like this are adaptations too, even though you cannot see them in a photograph.
The next generation faces the same challenges. Young African elephants, called calves, depend on their surroundings and on adult care. A calf weighs about 100 kilograms at birth and is cared for by the whole herd.
Perhaps most remarkable of all: the African elephant is the largest land animal on Earth. Facts like this remind us that every animal's body tells a story about the place it lives.