This is a Hard One .....

.....

go on I'll faw in't trap, Is a nellyfant,

Is it a Mouse?

For the benefit of the pedants amongst us don't overlook the fact they come in two flavours (Indian and African) before answering

African ephelump because of its big ears.

...

I looked on Google to see what it says regarding ianp's question. I know they are mammals, but it looks like they are classed as a 'land-animal' by many, yet are in the class of 'mamilia'?

Anyroadup, a bit of info. -

"Over the past two decades, conservationists say that the geographic range of elephants has fallen by 30%. Today, it's estimated that there are less than around 400,000 elephants remaining."

Well, 400,000 seems like a lot, but ......

" It's estimated that a century ago, there were more than 12 million elephants in the wild."

That highlights the drop in numbers, which is massive! Although, 12 million elephants? They must've been falling over each other!

I once entered a cave in Thailand. Only some time later did I learn that it is called the elephant cave.

There were lots of kids with hand held flaming torches wanting to act as guide for a small payment.

I wanted peace and quiet. There were lots of tourists at the site, so plenty of boys with torches. I thought I had no need for their assistance.

It is a big cave, about half a mile long, and emerges in a sheer precipice on the far side of the mountain, but plenty of headroom: you could drive a bus through (maybe not a double decker) although it is very rough and uneven underfoot.

About halfway along the transit, I found myself engaged in conversation with a Buddhist monk. He was really keen to practice his English: he really buttonholed me.

When we parted, I was in complete and utter darkness. No tourists or kids with torches anywhere nearby now.

No worries. I know the drill. Walk like a firefighter does, testing footing with leading foot to make sure I do not trip, arms extended to fore so I do not walk into owt.

Arm did not make any contact, but my face did.

There was a deafening sound. It would probably have been loud under any circumstances, in the confined space of the cave it certainly was.

I had walked into an elephant. They kept to the darkness, and avoided the walkers.

I later learned they go in to lick the water that runs off the cave walls to get the minerals.

Still, neither me not the elephant were harmed.

Police get called to a robbery on a high class jeweller's shop.
They arrive at the scene and find an old Irishman leaning against the broken window, looking in. So they arrest him on suspicion.
Back at the 'station', they interview the old Irishman who says that the robbery was done by an elephant and he claims to have witnessed it.
He tells the interviewing officer, "Well, just as I was walking past, this elephant came up to the jeweller's shop, smashed the window with his tusks, sucked all the jewellery up with his trunk and then ran off up the road.'
"Hmmmmmm", says the interviewing officer, "'For the record, was he an African elephant or an Indian elephant"
"What's the difference?' asks the old Irishman.
'Well, African elephants have very big ears while Indian elephants have much smaller ones', says the interviewing officer.
"Oh., I couldn't see his ears", says the old Irishman, "because he had a stocking over his head"!

PS: Boom-Boom!

Ah! I remember now.

There was an era of elephant jokes wasn't there:
don't remember when,
don't recall the jokes.