<P> Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea . Three species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the African forest elephant (L. cyclotis), and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia . Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons . </P> <P> All elephants have several distinctive features, the most notable of which is a long trunk (also called a proboscis), used for many purposes, particularly breathing, lifting water, and grasping objects . Their incisors grow into tusks, which can serve as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging . Elephants' large ear flaps help to control their body temperature . Their pillar - like legs can carry their great weight . African elephants have larger ears and concave backs while Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs . </P> <P> Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes . They prefer to stay near water . They are considered to be a keystone species due to their impact on their environments . Other animals tend to keep their distance from elephants while predators, such as lions, tigers, hyenas, and any wild dogs, usually target only young elephants (or "calves"). Elephants have a fission--fusion society in which multiple family groups come together to socialise . Females ("cows") tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring . The groups are led by an individual known as the matriarch, often the oldest cow . </P> <P> Males ("bulls") leave their family groups when they reach puberty and may live alone or with other males . Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate and enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth, which helps them gain dominance and reproductive success . Calves are the centre of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years . Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild . They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound, and seismic communication over long distances . Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans . They appear to have self - awareness and show empathy for dying or dead individuals of their kind . </P>

What is the name for a female elephant