While many of us appreciate elephants year round, they are officially recognized on September 22nd , the perfect time to learn about them and do what we can to save these magnificent creatures from extinction.

Elephants live in a matriarchal society, meaning groups whose members are bound together by their female relatives. There are two species of elephant, African and Asian. While African elephants are larger (and can be identified by their ears which are larger and actually shaped like the continent of Africa) than Asian elephants, both species can live up to 70 years. There are some who believe that the African elephants found in the forests of Gabon, the DRC, and Ghana are actually a separate elephant species, and not just a subspecies of the African elephant typically found on the savannah. While both male and female African elephants grow tusks, only male Asian elephants do so. And if you look very closely you will notice that Asian elephants have just one lobe on their trunks for grasping objects while African elephants have two, one on the top and one on the bottom! Elephants are intelligent, intuitive, gregarious creatures who will defend their families and mourn their dead. Baby elephants stay with their mothers for the first 10 years of life and female elephants are pregnant for a whopping 22 months before giving birth! Hunted to near extinction for their tusks, Asian elephants are an endangered species; African elephants are considered threatened in their natural habitats as human encroachment and hunting have drastically affected their numbers as well.

Social media is a great way to share your love of elephants and support conservation efforts to save them and their native habitats. Here are our top 10 favorite IG accounts devoted to elephants:

For daily photos and videos of elephants and their adorable babies, follow these six accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/96elephants/

 

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Great news out of Tanzania. Elephant numbers have stabilized in a key landscape that was known for rampant poaching just a few years ago. This according to a massive wildlife survey by @TheWCS and Tanzania’s Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI). . An estimated 20,145 elephants were recorded during the 20-day survey, which covered 29,855 square miles of the Katavi-Rukwa and Ruaha-Rungwa landscape and included parks, game reserves, and other protected and conservation areas. . Far fewer elephant carcasses were found compared to 2015 when the last survey took place, indicating that poaching is now being brought under control – though a few were still detected in some areas. This marks the first evidence of elephant stabilization and recovery in Tanzania since the onset of the second great ivory crisis which began in the late-2000s. . “The results of these surveys give us cautious optimism,” said @trbdavenport, WCS Director of Species Conservation–Africa. “Elephants were found across the survey area – justifying the need for future surveys to also be conducted at a landscape level and pointing to the considerable importance of wildlife corridors and dispersal areas.” . . #96elephants #elephants #wildlifeconservation #tanzania #conservation #africa #savetheplanet #wildlifecrime #ivorytrade #notoivory #tanzania #repost from @thewcs

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Ever wondered what’s behind each elephant trumpet and rumble? Mickey Pardo, a postdoctoral researcher from Colorado State University in the US, with the help of STE’s David ‘Leaderboard’ Lolchuragi, has been been ‘eavesdropping’ on elephant conversations in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve, as part of his study on African elephant vocal communication. Other than humans, elephants are one of the few species of mammals that can learn how to produce new sounds. Decoding these vocalisations will not only give the world a rare glimpse into elephant society, but is also promising for conservation and management actions such as mitigating human-elephant conflict and reintroducing orphaned elephants back to the wild. Sadly Mickey’s work was disrupted by the Covid pandemic but we hope he’ll return to Samburu soon to continue his important research! Learn more in this film by @alfred_simcad/Save the Elephants. Cover photo by Frank af Petersens/Save the Elephants #research #study #communication #vocalcommunication #elephantbehaviour #elephants #samburu #northernkenya #coloradostateuniversity #savetheelephants

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https://www.instagram.com/elephants.of.world/

 

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Mum said no splashing…whoops! 🐘 🐘 tag an elephant lover and share 🐘 🐘 🐘 If you love Elephants then do follow @elephants.of.world 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 Pinterest, if you own this pic please inbox us to credit, thank you 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘 #elephantlove #elephants #beautifulelephants #elephanttattoo #addoelephantpark #elephant🐘 #elephantlover #elephantsworld #elephantbar #bekindtoelephants #saveanimals #animals #elephantlovers #elephantsofinstagram #elephantsafari #elephantfamily #elephantbaby #animallover #animalphotos #funnyanimals #elephant #babyelephants #elephantandcastle #wildlife #elephantcamp #africanelephant #elephantparade #elephantseals #saveelephants #jointheherd

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https://www.instagram.com/elephantslovenature/

 

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https://www.instagram.com/elephants_picturestv/

 

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Who can get the best caption?? 😂😂 – Follow us @the_elephant.lover.s

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And to support conservation efforts of both African and Asian elephants, here are four accounts to follow:

https://www.instagram.com/elephantswithoutborders/

 

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Today we choose to highlight and celebrate EWB team member Mr Shoni Nyoni. . Shoni originates from Sikumbi, a small farming village in the Victoria falls region of Zimbabwe. He’s a family man and proud father of two girls. He has been working with EWB for more than 10 years, now. He joined the team to lend his skills in conservation agriculture when EWB was looking at ways to help address wildlife conflict. But soon, he became a core field assistant during research activities. Over the years, he has expanded his skills and knowledge, growing with the program and its changes. His farming experience is again being put into good use, through the EWB conflict and coexistence program, as we assist rural farmers. . Shoni was also, one of the first on the scene when the orphans came into our care, he provided tender care for them through their critical time. At one stage, Boipuso would only take milk from Shoni. He is a man of “many hats” and talents, thus we are very proud of him being part of our team! . #partoftheherd #teammember #elephantambassador #elephantwithoutborders #elephantconservation @elephantswithoutborders

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Even though we have almost no more visitors, we continue to educate people about our work and about the situation of Asian elephants. On Tuesday, our biologist, Anabel Lopez Perez, will make a talk in partnership with Volunteer Eco Students Abroad. If you want to listen to her, you can follow the Instagram account of VESA! We need your support more than ever to get through this difficult period. If you know someone in your network willing to support a unique conservation project, please share our fundraising campaign (https://www.gofundme.com/f/ECCAccelerator) with them. Message from our partner: Volunteer Eco Students Abroad · Who’s excited for our next Instagram live? . On Tuesday the 22nd we’ll be joined with the head biologist of the Elephant Conservation Center, Anabel López Pérez to learn all about Asian Elephants and the incredible work of the ECC! . Get your questions ready and join us On Tuesday the 22nd! . 7pm Eastern Standard Australia Time 6.30pm South Australia 5pm Western Australia 9pm New Zealand . See you then! #elephantconservation @vesabroad #elephantconservationcenter #elephantbiologist #elephanttalk #wildlifebiologist

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Julie Bond

Julie Bond is a voracious reader with eclectic tastes running the gamut from YA lit, to psychological suspense, and anything dog-related, of course. You can find her haunting her favorite San Francisco Bay Area indie bookstores. Email her at ObsessiveBookFanatic@gmail.com

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