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.
Thailand has begun using a birth control vaccine on elephants in the wild to try and curb a growing problem where human and animal populations encroach on each other—an issue in areas where farms spread into forests and ...
Ecology
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A new study from an interdisciplinary German research collaboration, led by the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS), reveals the secret to the gentle dexterity of the ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 12, 2026
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If you've watched a giraffe browsing in the tree canopy, a white rhino meandering across open grassland, or a warthog shuffling around on its knees in South Africa's Kalahari desert, you know what they eat: leaves, grass, ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 4, 2026
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Across large parts of northern Tanzania, gully erosion—soil erosion caused by flowing water—is cutting deep scars through fertile farmland, grazing areas, roads and even villages. These gullies grow faster every year ...
Ecology
Jan 31, 2026
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Thailand has given a contraceptive vaccine to wild elephants for the first time in an effort to control their ballooning population, a conservation official said on Wednesday.
Plants & Animals
Jan 28, 2026
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A study of wild African herbivores offers new insight into how environmental conditions—not just diet and anatomy—can influence the evolution of gut microbes that play a critical role in animal health and well-being.
Evolution
Jan 26, 2026
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In Botswana, coexisting with the country's 130,000 elephants can be a daily negotiation. For rural families, tending a crop means hoping these "gentle giants" don't wander through and cause damage while searching for food ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 4, 2025
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