Elephants

Ancient DNA Reveals Mastodons Were Shaped by Ice Age Climate Swings

New genetic evidence uncovers repeated waves of dispersal and surprising diversity among North America’s Ice Age giants.

An adult mastodon consuming a spruce branch set against a backdrop illustrating their cyclical continental migrations linked to climate fluctuations.
Illustration: The skull of an asian elephant.

Three new 7.7-million-year-old elephant skulls unearthed in Turkey

 A mysterious elephant

The mysterious ghost elephant no one believed still existed

 A group of elephants walk near a solar panel at a watering hole inside Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe, October 23, 2019

Zimbabwe wildlife habitat to cull at least 50 elephants due to overcrowding


25,000-year-old elephant ancestor found in Chandrapur

Along with the fossils, paleolithic tools were also found at the site, indicating that early humans lived with these giant elephants and perhaps hunted them.

 25,000-year-old elephant ancestor found in Chandrapur. Illustration.

77-Year-Old German tourist ignored warnings before fatal elephant attack in India

Authorities urge motorists to exercise extreme caution on roads known for wildlife crossings and appeal to tourists to maintain distance from wild animals.

 77-Year-Old German tourist ignored warnings before fatal elephant attack in India. Illustration.

Spanish student Blanca Ojanguren killed by elephant during Thai vacation

Ojanguren was part of a group of tourists engaged in bathing the elephants.

 Drastic decline in elephant population.

Human ancestors in India butchered a 10-tonnes giant elephant 300,000 years ago

Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus greatly exceeded the size of modern African elephants. Adults grew to around four meters tall at the shoulder and weighed about 10 tonnes.

 Statues of a group of mammoths in the North of Russia.

Elephant contraceptives: Thailand goes on a wild (animal) birth control plan

Wild elephant population increase by 7-8% annually in the country, leading to deadly human-elephant conflicts.

 Elephant contraceptives: Thailand goes on a wild (animal) birth control plan.

How can something this big go away? Survey finds drastic decline in elephant population

Savanna elephants have declined by about 70% and forest elephants by about 90% on average in the surveyed sites.

 Drastic decline in elephant population.

Do elephants play tricks on each other? Watch video

Observations at the Berlin Zoo provide new insights into elephants' cognitive abilities and social behaviors.

 Young elephants playing games on the green African grass.

Ten wild elephants die in three days at Indian Tiger Reserve, fungus-infected millet suspected

The lone surviving male elephant from the herd of thirteen is reported to be displaying distress.

 Elephants playing in the water by Martin_Heigan is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to 'roam free' in Germany

Germany is the largest importer of African elephant hunting trophies, and animal welfare groups have pressured the government to restrict the practice.

 An African elephant.

Biotech company aims to resurrect woolley mammoths in three years

Colossal lays out a ten-step process for how they will resurrect the Woolley Mammoth.  

 An artistic rendition of a Woolley Mammoth.

Just like people, elephants don't like eating the same thing every night - study

Elephants vary their diets not only according to what’s available but also to their preferences and physiological needs.

 Forest elephant, Loxodonta africana cyclotis, is an endangered species.