50 Shades of Gray

ERMAHGERD… what is big, grey and loves baths?? ELEPHANTS!! Elephants are called elephas maximus by scientists. They are the largest mammal on Earth. The elephants in Africa are just a little bit bigger than their cousins in Asia. You can distinguish the two by looking at the ears. Asian elephants have rounder ears, whereas  the African elephants ears look well, like Africa. ERMAHGERD, I want to learn more about these Asian elephants! Okay then, let’s take a closer look at the Asian elephants. “Hop on the magic school bu...”, ERMAHGERD just get to the point! A way that these giants keep themselves cool (like a cucumber :D) is by using their ears to radiate heat. Sometime this isn’t enough. This is where the trunk comes in. The trunk sucks in water and sprays it overhead showering the elephant with water. Although they use the trunk to get themselves wet, elephants prefer to wade in a lake. Just in case you were wondering, the trunk is actually a giant multi-functional nose and has about 100,000 different muscles. ERMAHGERD, it would be sooooo cool to have a long nose! Yeah I-knows! The elephants use their nose for various activities like breathing, smelling, trumpeting (elephants like to toot their own horn ;P) and drinking water. They also use their trunk for grabbing a bite to eat. Speaking of food, elephants are herbivores and not only use their trunks, but they also use their tusks. The tusks are good for digging up roots, grass and stripping bark. Elephants also enjoy eating fruits. A single adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds of food. ERMAHGERD, elephant tusks are so cool! They are cool, but they have caused some issues for the animal. Ivory is very valuable and many elephants have been killed for their tusks. Even though this trade for ivory is illegal, it hasn't been eliminated completely. These majestic elephants are really something to ERMAHGERD about. Hope you enjoyed the trip!!