Baby elephants & mothers dive underwater while crossing river

Elephants thoroughly enjoy water. They bathe in it, lounge in it, spray it on themselves to cool off or get clean, and they happily wade or swim on a hot day. These elephants wanted to cross a river and they walked into the water and headed for the other side. But along the way, they did something beautiful. They began to submerge and swim under the surface. At times, they held their trunks high above the water like a snorkel and at other times, they completely disappeared, holding their breath before surfacing moments later.

The elephants bobbed and turned, pushed and played with each other, much like human children do in the water. To see these gorgeous and majestic creatures having such a good time is heart warming. Once at the other side, they gathered and stood at the river bank. An occasional bellow could be heard and once or twice, a spray of water erupted from their snouts, although it wasn't captured on video. But what we can see here is the elephants venturing out happily into the water again for more fun.

These two large elephants each have a baby here and the other one belongs to another mother elephant who was nearby at the time. Elephants are very protective of their young and will keep a close eye on the babies for as long as two years. They work together as a herd to assist in child rearing and protection. The calves will almost exclusively drink milk from their mothers for the first two years, consuming three gallons of milk per day. Even though they will start eating plants after two years, they will continue to nurse as part of their diet for up to ten years.

Powerful and enormous, they have incredible strength. But elephants are also exceptionally affectionate and intelligent. Gentle creatures, females and young elephants live in herds of eight to 100 individuals. Males are more solitary and can be territorial, and occasionally unpredictable if they feel threatened.

Like many large and majestic animals, the elephant is an endangered species in most areas. Hunting for ivory and trophies has decreased their population at an alarming rate. Doing what we can to discourage the ivory trade is crucial to ensure that these amazing creatures are with us for years to come. We must also protect their habitat and food supply.