Grazing up to nineteen hours and eating up to 300kg every day.
None of which would be possible without their trunk.
A fusion of their nose and upper lip.
It's immensely powerful, capable of lifting up to 350kg.
But it's flexible too,
allowing them to reach 7 metres high up into the trees.
And it's also highly sensitive.
On the tip of an African elephant's trunk
are two finger-like extensions
that can be pinched together to grasp even the tiniest morsel.
And inside, it's even more intricate.
The elephants trunk contains more than a hundred-thousand muscle units.
Fluid within the muscle cells becomes firm when compressed,
working like a hydraulic system.
Offering superb flexibility and rigidity.
Different sections of the trunk can work independently
and can bend or twist, lengthen and shorten.
It's one of the most versatile tools in the animal kingdom,
and when combined with their tusks, the elephant is formidable.
Elephants' tusks occur in both males and females,
and they're actually modified teeth.
Incisors that develop in the upper jaw
and replace milk teeth around 6 months after birth.
They can keep growing as much as 17 centimetres a year
and can reach 3 metres in length.
Because elephants favour one tusk over another,
they tend to be worn down at different rates.
Working in tandem with their trunk, an elephants tusks are an invaluable tool for moving trees.
Stripping branches and foraging for food.
And once they've harnessed that food,
it's the teeth inside their mouth that take over.
Elephants have 4 huge molars.
The largest of any mammal alive today.
Each one grows up to 30 centimetres high
and can weigh as much as 5kg.
Their size and shape is crucial when it comes to eating such a tough diet.
But these teeth are not permanent.
If they were, once worn down the elephant would starve to death.
Instead, they've evolved an ingenious solution.
Unlike most mammals, elephants teeth grow in cycles throughout their lives.
The molars start at the back of their mouth and gradually move forward,
pushing out the older ones which are worn down.
It's like a conveyer belt.
And these teeth can be replaced up to 6 times during the elephants life.