Elephants by Steve Bloom – in pictures

Wildlife photographer Steve Bloom shares some beautiful pictures from his book Elephants, showing elephants at their most playful, majestic and breath-taking

Steve Bloom

  • All the photographs in this gallery were taken by me in Africa and India for my book Elephants, which has words by David Henry Wilson. Here you can see African elephants disturbing a flock of birds, taken in Savuti, Botswana. Birds love elephants, because wherever elephants go they disturb insects and small animals, which the birds can feed on.
    Elephants and birds

  • Elephants sparring in the water, Chobe River, Botswana. Elephants like to play and sometimes they will also spar with one another, like these two in the Chobe River, Botswana.
    Elephants sparring

  • An elephant herd photographed from the air, Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Elephants tusks are made of ivory, which is the same material as your own teeth. If you had teeth that size, you’d never be able to lift your head. One tusk can weigh anything up to 220 pounds.
    Herd

  • African elephant mudbathing, Savuti, Botswana. As well as mudbaths, elephants like to give themselves showers to cool down, like this one in Jaipur, India, who is splashing his mahmout trainer! The elephant’s trunk can breathe and smell just like your nose, but it can also pick things up and put things down, reach out like an arm, and even squirt mud!
    mudbathing

  • Here are a herd of African elephants drinking beside the river, Chobe, Botswana. Elephants spend most of their day eating and drinking, and their trunk can suck up a gallon of water at a time.
    Elephant Drinking

  • Here you can see some elephants painted and decorated in preparation for the Elephant Festival, Jaipur, India. In India the elephant is highly respected and takes part in festivals. In fact, the Hindu God, Ganesh, has the head of an elephant.
    Elephant festival

  • Just look at this Indian elephant in the forest with early morning mist, India. Although their skin looks rough and tough, elephant skin is really very tender, and so they protect it with mud and dirt.
    Elephant in forest

  • An Indian elephant swimming underwater, seen from below, India. When the sun gets too hot, elephants might go for a swim, like this Indian elephant. This was a strange photograph to take!
    Elephant swimming

  • Indian elephant swimming underwater, India. With its trunk, an elephant can lift a tree, pick up a peanut, give a hug, take a shower, or even go snorkelling.
    Elephant swimming

  • An Indian elephant herd, Andaman Islands, India. Did you know elephants can live for about 70 years, and can be sad when a family member dies. Even many years after a death, if they pass by the same spot, they will stand still and silent for several minutes.
    Indian herd

  • Elephants in Addo Elephant Park, South Africa. Most families contain between six and 12 elephants, but sometimes they come together in huge herds. Even when families split up, they often keep in touch through their special sounds which we can’t hear.
    Addo Elephant park

  • A charging African elephant. Elephants spend nearly 80% of their day eating, and their 24 teeth go back to front, not side-to-side like ours. When these get too worn, the next set of teeth move along to take their place.
    Charging elephant

  • Elephants by Steve Bloom, with text by David Henry Wilson (published by Thames & Hudson at £7.95) is available at the Guardian bookshop
    Front cover of Elephants
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