The elephants (Elephantidae) are a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea in the class Mammalia. | | Elephantidae has three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant (until recently known collectively as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (also known as the Indian Elephant). Other species have become extinct since the last ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. | | Elephants are mammals, and the largest land animals alive today. The elephant's gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 120 kg (265 lb). An elephant may live as long as 70 years, sometimes longer. | | This elephant is 37 years old. | | Elephants are considered symbols of wisdom in Asian cultures, and are famed for their exceptional memory and high intelligence, rivalled only by cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and hominids (primates). | | Elephants are increasingly threatened by human intrusion. Between 1970 and 1989, the African elephant population plunged from 1.3 million to about 600,000 in 1989; the current population is estimated to be between 400,000 and 660,000. | | The elephant is now a protected species worldwide, placing restrictions on capture, domestic use, and trade in products such as ivory. | | If you would like to know more, just click on the other photos in my "African Elephant" series Elephantidae Pachyderm Mammalia African Elephant
Picture of firework taken on the EXIT festival in Serbia, 2005 | | This image has not been edited in any way and as suck looks a bit raw. I think it can be used quite well after a little editing firework party night Firework