Tanzania has at least some specimens of all wildlife species found in the African continent. The Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti National Park, the Tarangire National Park and the Selous Game Reserve are among just a few places where elephants are to be found roaming the plains in small herds, majestic in their dignified sedateness.

The elephant found in Tanzania is the African Bush Elephant. Even today, it is undecided as to whether or not the African Bush Elephant and the African Forest Elephant should be clubbed as one species or seen as different species, but many experts are inclined to the latter because of the high levels of genetic difference.

African Bush elephants are, without doubt, the largest land animals. The largest documented animal till date is a bull elephant standing 4.2 metres tall - around 15 feet, two and a half times as tall as a six-foot man! The specimen weighed over 12 tons. Small surprise, then, that these animals usually stroll by with majestic slowness, at a speed of hardly 6 kilometres per hour. Do not be fooled, though - a charging elephant can reach 40 kilometres per hour, a speed that no errant human will be able to escape from.

The elephants of Tanzania are much bigger than the other two species of elephant, with a head that is proportionately even larger. This may be due to the need for a chamber to process the long-wave, infrasonic frequencies through which elephants communicate across long distances. Elephants also exhibit complex herding behavior - the herd is led by a matriarch, the oldest female of the herd, who shows her herd all the water and food sources in their vicinity.

The death of an elephant is mourned by the entire herd, who stay by the corpse, touching it with their trunks often, for a long time. Elephants are also known to acknowledge the presence of another elephant corpse, and to touch the forehead of the corpse with their trunks. The presence of elephant caves - mostly seen in Congo - has led some people to think that elephants may actually bury their dead, or carry the corpses to existing caves.

The elephants, by and large, tend not to interact with other animals. They eat only plants, while most predators stay away from adults thanks to their strength and size. However, the newborn are vulnerable to attacks from leopards, crocodiles, lions and even hyenas. The adults, in fact, are most threatened by one species - Homo sapiens. Humans have been exploiting elephants for their tusks, skin, bones and meat. This, and the increasing drought in Africa, has led to the elephant population becoming "near threatened" - an extremely worrying sign. Luckily, today the photographer's shot has largely replaced the gunshot on safaris, so it is hoped that many future generations will enjoy the beauty of this magnificent animal.

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