African Elephant

General

This species of elephant is the largest of the elephant species. The trunk/nose of an adult alone can span up to 7 feet long!
Speaking of, the trunk acts as a fifth appendage, allowing them to do dexterous tasks such as picking berries off the ground and plucking leaves off of branches.

One of the most interesting things about these animals, however, is their social structure and lifestyle. They, similar to other herbivores, live in herds. These herds can potentially span to over 100 elephants. These herds are led by the oldest female known as the matriarch. They will watch over the entire herd/family and, thanks to their wonderful memory, lead the others to food and water. Despite this, most decisions are made cooperatively and are based on general consensus. It is a very democratic system!
These different families and systems get even more complicated and cool when you have different herds and families of elephants working together. Elephants in general tend to have very distinctive personalities as well! Some may tend towards leadershop roles vs others, and some are more social whilst others are less so.

An African Elephant's diet consists mostly of grass with leaves, roots, fruits and seeds as supplements. They require a lot of food to sustain themselves and can eat up to 300 pounds of food in a day, alongside drinking 20 to 30 gallons of water. This requires a lot of land and resources which can lead to problems with humans.

Conservation

One major problem for African Elephants is habitat loss. They require a lot of land to roam and eat, so when habitats grow smaller, their numbers start to diminish. Another huge issue is poaching for their ivory tusks, which is often sold for use as decor and trinkets.

Folklore and Culture

Elephants are held within high regard in multiple cultures spanning Africa to India. One well-known Hindu god, Ganesh, is depicted as having an elephant head. This adds to what he is known for being which is "the remover of obstacles."
There are also stories such as another Hindu myth of elephants holding up the corners of the universe, there is also the proverb of giving a white elephant as a gift.