Safari Holidays With the Big 5 - Elephants

Perhaps no animal better symbolises the romance of safari holidays in Southern Africa than the elephant; these gentle giants are very distinctive sights. The largest living land mammals, elephants are also recognisable from their large ears, tusks and prehensile trunks, making it little wonder they capture the imagination of travellers the world over. Elephants are renowned for the power of their memories; you may recall the phrase 'an elephant never forgets'! Surprisingly enough, modern science has shown that elephants have some of the most developed brains and neocortexes of any living animal. This appears to have been known to ancient scholars, however - Aristotle once wrote that the elephant was 'the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind."

Pack Your Trunk

The most important and versatile appendage these animals, the trunk is used in a variety of situations during the life of an African elephant. It boasts two finger-like projections at its tip to aid the elephant in grasping small objects, or with sensitive movements. The trunk of an elephant is said to be sensitive enough to pick up a single blade of grass, and strong enough to rip a limb from a tree - and you may witness both while observing these creatures on your safari holidays.

The trunk is also used for drinking - elephants can suck up to 14 litres of water at a time into their trunks, and then blow it into their mouths, or spray it over their bodies while bathing. Elephants familiar with each other will twine and clasp their trunks in a similar greeting to a handshake, and use the trunk while play-wrestling, or to defend themselves from real threats. An elephant also relies on its trunk for its sense of smell, and you may see elephants on your safari holidays using their trunks in the style of a periscope to sniff out the scents of friends and food sources.

Tusks

Though they may appear quite frightening on a muscular elephant, an elephant's tusks are used for to dig for water and roots, to debark trees when elephants want to eat the bark, and to move trees and branches when clearing a path. Though it may not be immediately apparent on your safari holidays, an elephant's tusks never stop growing during the course of their lifetime. Another fascinating fact is that elephants can be right-or-left tusked, in the same fashion a human can be right-or-left handed. The dominant tusk, called the master tusk, can usually be spotted as it will be shorter, and generally a little more rounded from the wear of an elephant's everyday use.

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