A Leap f Elephant Alert! What makes elephants so fascinating, why they are in danger and how you can help! For centuries, elephants have captured our admiration and imaginations, and it's easy to see why The planet's largest _ _ can stand up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to pounds But they're not just about brawn With their complex brains, elephants are clever and sensitive: caring for their families and capable of faraway places and old pals In fact, when elephants spot friends, they often show affection by _ their trunks together or resting them on each other's foreheads Trunks come in handy for more than just greeting (An elephant trunk has tens of thousands of ; the entire human body has fewer than 650) For instance, elephant babies suck their trunks for comfort, just as human babies suck their thumbs Trunks are also handy for reaching hanging food And chewing is no problem for these herbivores! Elephants have back teeth the size of small and, of course, elongated incisor teeth called tusks They use tusks to things, pull bark off trees, clear paths, dig for roots and water, fight enemies and impress other elephants Unfortunately, it's those amazing _ that put elephants' lives at risk The desire for tusk ivory is the reason so many elephants have been slaughtered White Gold Choose from sentences/ words A – R to fill the gaps There are more sentences than you will need A ….13,200 B … tusks C … land animals D ….tails E ….China F … giant G … remembering H … trumpeting I … incredibly J … muscles K … symbol L … wrapping From the days of ancient Egypt and Rome, elephant tusk ivory has been a valuable commodity More recently, it's been used to make billiard balls, _ _, and decorative ornaments In order to get the ivory, elephants are killed and their tusks are sawed off In 1979, there were an estimated 1.3 million elephants in Africa By 2007 that number had dropped to between 472,000 and 690,000 Today, in many parts of the world, ivory or "white gold" remains a _ of wealth and status, especially in Asia With the spending power of a growing middle class in countries such as , the demand for illegal ivory is increasing Elephants communicate by grunting, whistling, snorting, bellowing, rumbling, and stomping Some M … fart N … carry O ….immediately P … bricks Q … orange R … piano keys S … nervous T … high A Leap f Elephant Alert! Key: C – A – I – G – L – J – T –P–N–B–R–K–E–HNot used: D – F – M – O – Q–S