Science and Data

Elephant Biology

The largest land mammals

Elephants are the largest land mammals on Earth. An adult female can weigh between two and three tonnes, while a male can weigh more than six tonnes.
Their trunks contain tens of thousands of muscles and allow them to breathe, smell, communicate, drink, feed and interact with other elephants. Their hearing, sense of smell and sense of touch are highly developed, making them particularly sensitive to their surroundings.

Animals made to walk

In the wild, elephants travel several kilometres every day in search of food, water and social contact. Their home ranges can cover tens or even hundreds of square kilometres. Movement is fundamental to their biology: their bodies, feet and behaviour have evolved for a life of constant movement. The distances elephants can travel in a zoo represent only a tiny fraction of what they would cover in the wild.

Exceptional intelligence

Elephants are among the most intelligent animals known to us. They have remarkable memories, can learn throughout their lives, solve complex problems and adapt to new situations. They have the largest brains of any land animal. In the wild, they constantly use their cognitive abilities to find food, remember routes, navigate social relationships and make decisions.

Complex social lives

Elephants live in highly complex social groups. Females generally remain with their families throughout their lives, in groups made up of several related generations. Bonds between mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and grandmothers can last for decades. Young elephants learn from older members of the herd and depend on their social group for many years as they develop. Transfers between zoos can break relationships that, in the wild, would normally last a lifetime.

A constant search for food

An adult elephant can eat between 150 and 300 kilograms of plants a day and spend up to 18 hours searching for and eating food. In the wild, foraging occupies a large part of an elephant’s day and engages both its physical and mental abilities. In captivity, even when enrichment is provided, it is impossible to recreate this diversity of natural feeding behaviours.

Why captivity is a problem

Recent scientific research shows that elephants’ fundamental needs – including space, freedom of movement, choice, cognitive stimulation, stable social relationships and control over their environment – cannot be met in captivity, whether in zoos or circuses. Even the most modern facilities remain far removed from the conditions in which elephants evolved over millions of years. This is why many experts now consider sanctuaries the best alternative for elephants who cannot be released into the wild.

Scientific Papers

Continuing Challenges of Elephant Captivity: The Captive Environment, Health Issues, and Implications.
Doyle C, Rally H, O’Brien L, Tennison M, Marino L, Jacobs B, 2024

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African elephants address one another with individually specific name-like calls.
Michael A. Pardo, Kurst Fristrup, David S. Lolchugari, Joyce H. Poole, Petter Granli, Cynthia Moss, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, George Wittemyer, 2024.

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Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task.

Joshua M. Plotnik, Richard Lair, Wirot Suphachoksahakun, Frans BM de Wall, 2024.

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Unearthing calf burials among Asian Elephants Elephas maximus Linnaeus.

Parveen Kaswan, Akashdeep Roy, 2024.

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Causes and Correlates of Calf Mortality in Captive Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus).
Mar KU, Lahdenperä M, Lummaa V., 2012.

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Megagardeners of the forest – the role of elephants in seed dispersal.

Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, Steve Blake, 2011.

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Compromised Survivorship in Zoo Elephants. Ros Clubb, Marcus Rowcliffe, Phyllis Lee, Khyne U. Mar, Cynthia Moss, Georgia J. Mason, 2008.
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Social and reproductive behaviour in elephants.

Vidya, T. N. C., y R. Sukumar, 2005.

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The ELE campaign has already helped bring elephant captivity in Argentina to an end. With your support, we can work towards the same goal in Switzerland.

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