Elephas maximus is native to the Indian peninsula and southeastern Asia; Loxodonta africana is found in sub-Saharan Africa. So-called pygmy elephants, once considered a separate species, are now known to be young Loxodonta africana. Both species live in habitats ranging from thick jungle to savannah

Gestation averages 610 days for the Indian elephant and about two months longer for the African elephant. The former reaches breeding age between 8 and 12 years of age and the latter at about 14.

Elephants migrate seasonally, according to the availability of food and water. They spend many hours eating, and may consume more than 225 kilograms of grasses and other vegetation a day. Elephants are in great danger from habitat destruction and human exploitation. The Indian elephant is considered an endangered species, and the African elephant is becoming vulnerable as its numbers decline. African elephants suffer particularly from poaching for the ivory trade.

During times of pain or alarmed an elephant will trumpet, scream or growl. They also bellow. Young elephants will squeal. Elephants also communicate within groups using infra-sound.

They are characterized by their large size, long trunk (elongated nose), columnar legs, large ears (especially loxodonta africana), and huge head. Elephants are grayish to brown in colour; body hair is sparse and coarse. Both species have tusks and ever-growing upper incisors, but these are usually absent in the female Indian elephant. The nostrils are at the end of the dextrous muscular trunk, the tip of which has a small fingerlike projection that enables elephants to pick up small objects. They drink by sucking water up into the trunk and then squirting it into the mouth. The male elephant has no scrotum, the testes being retained within the body.

The African elephant is the largest living land animal, weighing up to 7,500 kilograms (8.25 tons) and standing 3 to 4 metres (10 to 13 feet) at the shoulder. The Indian elephant weighs about 5,000 kilograms with a shoulder height of 2.5 to 3 metres; its ears are considerably smaller than those of the African elephant. The molar teeth of elephants do not erupt at once; rather a new one grows forward as the existing tooth wears down. The sixth and final molar is worn down at about 60 years (loxodonta. africana); so few elephants live beyond this age.