Elephants | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/elephants/RSS feed for ElephantsenMon, 06 Jul 2026 15:31:58 +0000These 20 Playful and Powerful Photos of Elephants Will Leave You Astounded By the Majestic Mammalshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/20-playful-and-powerful-photos-to-celebrate-world-elephant-day-astounded-majestic-mammals-180984865/On this World Elephant Day, you'll never forget your favorite pachyderm among the selected memorable images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo ContestMon, 12 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/20-playful-and-powerful-photos-to-celebrate-world-elephant-day-astounded-majestic-mammals-180984865/How a Hungry Komodo Dragon Led Scientists to Determine Our Small, Hobbit-Like Cousins Probably Weren't That Smart After Allhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-a-hungry-komodo-dragod-led-scientists-to-determine-our-small-hobbit-like-cousins-probably-werent-that-smart-after-all-180989078/New research indicates "Homo floresiensis" probably wasn't hunting big game or using fire on Flores Island, suggesting the small-brained species wasn't quite as "behaviorally advanced" as once hypothesizedMon, 06 Jul 2026 15:31:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-a-hungry-komodo-dragod-led-scientists-to-determine-our-small-hobbit-like-cousins-probably-werent-that-smart-after-all-180989078/Happy, an Asian Elephant Who Demonstrated That Her Species Might Be Self-Aware, Dies at 55 at the Bronx Zoohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/happy-an-asian-elephant-who-demonstrated-that-her-species-might-be-self-aware-dies-at-55-at-the-bronx-zoo-180988861/In research reported about 20 years ago, Happy appeared to recognize herself in a mirror. She was later the subject of a failed lawsuit claiming that elephants should have certain fundamental human rightsFri, 29 May 2026 18:23:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/happy-an-asian-elephant-who-demonstrated-that-her-species-might-be-self-aware-dies-at-55-at-the-bronx-zoo-180988861/See 15 Stunning Images That Won the German Society for Nature Photography's Annual Contesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-15-stunning-images-that-won-the-german-society-for-nature-photographys-annual-contest-180988711/From a lunging frog to the majestic movements of penguins, the honored photographs capture the wonder of wildlife and beauty of natural landscapesMon, 11 May 2026 14:42:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-15-stunning-images-that-won-the-german-society-for-nature-photographys-annual-contest-180988711/These Big-Brained Ancestors May Have Loved Crystals Just as Much as Modern Humans Do, According to New Researchhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-stone-tools-made-from-geodes-and-fossils-hint-at-homo-erectus-connection-with-the-cosmos-180988565/Archaeologists in Israel unearthed prehistoric hand axes that Homo erectus crafted from stones including fossils and crystals, perhaps a sign that they wanted to connect with the cosmosMon, 20 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-stone-tools-made-from-geodes-and-fossils-hint-at-homo-erectus-connection-with-the-cosmos-180988565/See the Most Adorable Photos of Baby Elephant Linh Mai, the National Zoo’s Newest Starhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/see-the-most-adorable-photos-of-baby-elephant-linh-mai-the-national-zoos-newest-star-180988532/Since her birth in early February, the calf has been growing and beginning to bond with her care team and herd. She will go on view in-person and online starting April 22Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:12:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/see-the-most-adorable-photos-of-baby-elephant-linh-mai-the-national-zoos-newest-star-180988532/This Famous 17th-Century Elephant Sculpture in Rome Keeps Losing the Tip of Its Tuskhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-famous-17th-century-elephant-sculpture-in-rome-keeps-losing-the-tip-of-its-tusk-180988248/Designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the statue holds an 18-foot-tall Egyptian obelisk on its back. The four-inch fragment of its tusk was found nearbyWed, 25 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-famous-17th-century-elephant-sculpture-in-rome-keeps-losing-the-tip-of-its-tusk-180988248/Archaeologists Unearthed a 2,200-Year-Old Bone. They Say It Could Be the First Direct Evidence of Hannibal's Legendary War Elephantshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearthed-a-2200-year-old-bone-they-say-it-could-be-the-first-direct-evidence-of-hannibals-legendary-war-elephants-180988185/The Carthaginian general famously used elephants during the Punic Wars. But until now, archaeologists had never found skeletal remains linking the animals to the conflictTue, 17 Feb 2026 18:46:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearthed-a-2200-year-old-bone-they-say-it-could-be-the-first-direct-evidence-of-hannibals-legendary-war-elephants-180988185/An Elephant's Trunk Is Covered in Whiskers—and They're Unlike Those on Any Other Animal, a New Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-elephants-trunk-is-covered-in-whiskers-and-theyre-unlike-those-on-any-other-animal-a-new-study-suggests-180988199/Hundreds of the specialized hairs help the poor-sighted creatures navigate the worldFri, 13 Feb 2026 22:15:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-elephants-trunk-is-covered-in-whiskers-and-theyre-unlike-those-on-any-other-animal-a-new-study-suggests-180988199/An Asian Elephant Was Born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for the First Time in Almost 25 Years. Now, You Can Help Pick Her Namehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-asian-elephant-was-born-at-the-smithsonians-national-zoo-for-the-first-time-in-almost-25-years-now-you-can-help-pick-her-name-180988129/The calf was born to 12-year-old Nhi Linh, a first-time mother, and 44-year-old Spike. The pair bred as part of a program working to conserve the endangered speciesTue, 03 Feb 2026 18:18:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-asian-elephant-was-born-at-the-smithsonians-national-zoo-for-the-first-time-in-almost-25-years-now-you-can-help-pick-her-name-180988129/