"Elephants are described as "ecological engineers" because they create and maintain ecosystems by physically changing habitats.
"Elephants, along with a number of other species, are considered to be ecological engineers because their activities modify the habitat in a way that affects many other species," explained Bruce Schulte, now based at Western Kentucky University, US.
"They will do everything from digging with their front legs, pulling up grass to knocking down big trees. So they actually change the shape of the landscape."
He added that elephants' digestive system was not very good at processing many of the seeds that they eat."
Genetic researchers may have resolved a long-standing dispute by proving there are two species of African elephant.
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