Large African and Asian mammals with trunks, tusks, and fan-shaped ears, known for their intelligence and memory. The largest living land animals.
From Greek elephas through Latin elephantus, possibly from a Semitic source. The word has remained remarkably stable across languages, reflecting these animals' ancient importance in human culture.
Elephants are one of the few animals that pass the mirror self-recognition test, showing they understand the concept of 'self'. Their greeting ritual of intertwining trunks is functionally similar to a human handshake, combining scent exchange with social bonding.
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