Elephant quiz

Last reviewed 8 October 2026 · Free, no sign up, no ads

Ten questions for grades 3 to 8. Students answer from class reading or from the TuskWise pages linked on the teachers hub. The answer key is at the bottom of the page and prints on a separate sheet.

Questions

Name: _______________________ Date: _____________

How many species of elephant are alive today, and what are they?
Answer: _______________________________________________
Which species is listed as Critically Endangered?
Answer: _______________________________________________
Are tusks bones, horns or teeth?
Answer: _______________________________________________
Does an elephant drink through its trunk the way a person uses a straw?
Answer: _______________________________________________
About how long is an elephant pregnant?
Answer: _______________________________________________
What is a matriarch?
Answer: _______________________________________________
Why do elephants flap their ears on a hot day?
Answer: _______________________________________________
True or false: most wild elephants live to 70.
Answer: _______________________________________________
What did McComb and colleagues (2001) find about older matriarchs?
Answer: _______________________________________________
Name one reason conservation groups say tourists should not ride elephants.
Answer: _______________________________________________

Every answer is explained on TuskWise. Start with the FAQ and the teachers hub.tuskwise.com/teachers/

Answer key (for the teacher)

Three: the African savanna elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant.
The African forest elephant (IUCN, 2021).
Teeth. They are upper incisors, made mostly of dentine (ivory).
No. It sucks water part way up the trunk, then curls the trunk to its mouth and pours.
About 22 months, the longest of any mammal.
The older female who leads a family group.
To cool down: blood flowing through the thin ears loses heat.
False. Most wild elephants do not live to 70; the FAQ page explains the figures.
Families led by older matriarchs were better at telling familiar elephants' calls from unfamiliar ones.
Elephants used for rides must be controlled for close tourist contact every day, which typically involves harsh training, chaining and restraint (World Animal Protection). ABTA travel guidelines now class riding as unacceptable.

Question 8 is marked false because the common claim of 70 years is not what the sources support; accept any answer that rejects 70 and points to the FAQ.