This story appears in the March 2019 issue of National Geographic magazine. The intricate web of cracks and crevices that gives African elephants their distinctive look is, in fact, an essential ...

This story appears in the September 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine ... A 1979 survey of African elephants estimated a population of about 1.3 million. About 500,000 remain.

African elephants are a matriarchal species. Dominant females lead, but the entire group is responsible for bringing up offspring. They form strong familial bonds, often living in the same groups ...