Made with Xara Web Designer African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their larger ears that can look similar to the shape of the continent of Africa. Elephant ears act like radiators to help keep these large animals cool, but sometimes the African heat is too much. Elephants are fond of water and enjoy showering by sucking water into their trunks and spraying it all over themselves. Afterwards, they often spray their skin with a protective coating of dust, just like using talcum powder. An elephant's trunk is actually a long nose used for smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, and also for grabbing things—especially food. The trunk alone contains about 100,000 different muscles. African elephants have two finger- like features on the end of their trunk that they can use to grab small items. Both male and female African elephants have tusks they use to dig for food and water and strip bark from trees and for digging natural salts and minerals from the earth.  Elephants eat huge amounts of roots, grasses, fruit, and tree bark.  An adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of food in a single day. These hungry animals do not sleep much, and they roam over great distances while foraging for the large quantities of food that they require to sustain their massive bodies. I saw this magnificent creature in Amboseli National Park in Kenya.  Amboseli is a fine place for observing Elephant, it has open plains that lead up into the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.  The snows of Kilimanjaro form a majestic backdrop to one of Kenya's most spectacular displays of wildlife - lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, buffalo and hosts of plains' game, creating Kenya's most sought after artist’s and photographer's paradise. If you are interested in acquiring this painting or would like further information please contact me African Giant Link to Us Privacy Photo Gallery Guestbook 16"x24" - 40x61cm Acrylic on Canvas All content and artwork copyright to Stephen Gayford and may not be reproduced without permission © 2007 - 2011