Description
Jumbo was a huge African elephant brought to the USA by P. T. Barnum. But the largest elephant ever measured was bigger than Jumbo and was a little taller and heavier than Tyrannosaurus Rex. The longest tusk ever measured was 11 feet, 5 inches! Sadly, African elephants no longer reach these dimensions because the massive ones have been wiped out. Elephant populations are in danger of extinction. They are getting decimated by poachers, who can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling elephant incisor teeth, known as tusks, that are carved into ivory trinkets. African elephants live in very complex structured societies that resemble the layers of Russian dolls but are more flexible. Their group size changes frequently, with their companions mostly consisting of friends and family. They bond together to protect the calves from danger, they get very agitated when someone that they know dies, and matriarchs are their leaders. Paradoxically, as we learn more and more about elephants, we see fewer and fewer of them living in Africa. Explore the life and plight of these extraordinary animals.
