Tuesday, September 22 is National Elephant Appreciation day! What makes this day so relevant? Why should we cherish these fascinating creatures? Let’s take a look and see why elephants are so amazing.
1. Intelligent
Elephants have the largest brain out of all land animals, their ability to learn is impressive and they are also one of the few animals that are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. They often show emotions that are similar to humans like grief and joy.
2. Highly Social
Elephants are able to communicate with other elephants from long distances. Female elephants live in herds and stay with their group for life, they are able to cooperate with one another and are often seen interacting with each other.
3. Enormous Size
Elephants are the largest land animals on the planet. An adult can eat up to 300 pounds of food and drink up to 50 gallons of water per day. They spend an average of 16 hours eating every day! They also continue to grow throughout their entire lifetime.
4. Precise Memory
Have you ever heard the phrase “elephants never forget?” Elephants are known to have exceptional memories. Believe it or not, elephants are able to recognize other elephants they once crossed paths with many years ago. They remember their past to help form family structures which is an important factor in survival.
5. Kindness
There have been a lot of studies done on elephants that show they are able to comfort other elephants in pain. They not only have compassion for other elephants, but for completely different animals as well. Elephants have also been seen grieving over loss.
If elephants aren’t your favorite animal, they should be now!