5 Amazing Facts About Elephants You Probably Didn't Know

Elephants are a well-known and respected creature. While many things are known about these impressive animals, such as their formidable memory and massive size, there are several lesser-known facts about them. Buckle up, because these animals are much more interesting than you think. Here are five amazing facts about elephants you probably didn't know.

1. Elephants Cannot Jump

I don't know about you, but I have never imagined an elephant jumping. It may be because imagining such an immense creature lifting itself off the ground is difficult. However, I never doubted their ability to do it. As it turns out, they cannot jump even if they wanted to. Reader's Digest shares that it is due to "wimpy lower-leg muscles." I know, it is hard to picture any part of this creature as wimpy. However, that and their inflexible ankles make it difficult for them to run for long distances and get themselves off the ground.

2. Elephants Are Practically Immune To Cancer

Next on our list of amazing facts about elephants is the fact that they are nearly immune to cancer. While many creatures suffer from this terrible disease, elephants seem to be among the lucky few who rarely get it. The University of Oxford shares that "Despite their large body size and a life expectancy comparable to humans, cancer mortality in elephants is estimated at less than 5%." Seeing as in humans it is 25%, the elephants have pretty good odds. Scientists believe their high resistance is due to their "20 copies of the p53 gene - the 'guardian of the genome' - compared with the single p53 gene found in other mammals."

3. They Have A Fantastic Sense Of Smell

Although these massive mammals may have poor eyesight they make up for it with an incredible sense of smell. They don't just notice smells, they analyze them. An elephant has 2,000 receptor genes, making them have a superpower of an olfactory system. This allows them to detect dangerous substances "like TNT, gauge food quantities, and identify threats with precision."

4. Their Trunks Are Truly Incredible

Next up on the amazing facts about elephants list, we have the power of their trunks. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) states, "Elephants have around 150,000 muscle units in their trunk." To put it into perspective, we have around 600-650 skeletal muscles in our entire body, so they have a lot! Additionally, their trunks are the most sensitive organ, understandable considering how much is going on there. They use their trunk to suck u water. Did you know it could hold up to 8 liters of water? Not only that, but they also use it as a snorkel when they go swimming. Talk about incredible.

5. Their Ears Are For More Than Hearing

While elephants do use their ears for hearing, and do so quite well, they also serve another purpose. Besides being able to hear frequencies "as low as 17Hz" (humans can only hear as low as 20Hz), they also help keep elephants cool. IFAW shares "their large ears hold a number of large blood vessels, and their circulatory systems carry blood from their bodies out to their ears." Because their ears are so thin, the blood cools down. Then that cool blood is circulated back into their body. Also, flapping those mighty ears creates a cool breeze for them.