Elephants belong to the biological order Proboscidea, a group of large terrestrial mammals characterized by an elongated proboscis (trunk), columnar limbs, and tusks derived from upper incisors. Modern Proboscidea are represented solely by the family Elephantidae, which includes African and Asian elephants, while the order historically encompassed diverse extinct lineages such as mammoths and mastodons (in related families). Proboscideans exhibit complex social structures, advanced cognitive capacities, and long lifespans, and they are primarily herbivorous. Their evolutionary history, biogeography, and morphological specializations make Proboscidea a key model for studying macroevolution, adaptive radiations, and mammalian gigantism.
The last three elephants still in a traditional South African zoo entered their enclosure in single file, with fruit and vegetables scattered on the ground to encourage natural foraging.
Ecology
Jul 31, 2026
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Ex-captive elephants released into the wild adapt well to wild environments, according to a study published July 29, 2026, in the journal PLOS One by Tenisha Roos and Tamara Eggeling of the Elephant Reintegration Trust of ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 29, 2026
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After more than 15 years of collaborative research, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Houston Zoo have reached a major milestone in the fight against elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), publishing the first peer-reviewed ...
Veterinary medicine
Jul 28, 2026
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Every year, thousands of tourists pile into game drive vehicles or don their hiking gear and cross South Africa's nature reserves. Binoculars and cameras at the ready, each hopes for a special encounter with Africa's wildlife—as ...
Ecology
Jul 23, 2026
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Elephants living in modern zoos are living significantly longer than they did half a century ago, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The research—led by ZSL (the Zoological Society of London) ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2026
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Elephants can communicate with other elephants across distances of up to five kilometers (3 miles) by producing sounds that travel through the air. However, they have a second way of sending signals: seismic waves traveling ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 15, 2026
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Within every muscle of every living species with a backbone, a protein called myosin tugs on a partner protein to generate a muscle contraction. This function, discovered in mammals a century ago, has been presumed by scientists ...
Evolution
Jul 14, 2026
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A study predicts increasing human-elephant conflict in Southern Africa. A growing number of farmers and 290,000 African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) share space in Southern Africa, with conflicts arising from elephants ...
Ecology
Jul 7, 2026
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A new analysis sheds light on the most likely route for the Carthaginian general's famous crossing of the Alps. The study, led by the University of Oxford and iDiv/Friedrich Schiller University Jena, reveals that the Col ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 6, 2026
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Above the patter of rain cascading through the jungle canopy comes the haunting call of a pileated gibbon singing to fend off intruders in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains.
Ecology
Jun 25, 2026
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