Did you know that elephants are great swimmers despite their massive bodies?

This fun fact was shared by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) on the recent World Elephant Day on August 12.

Additionally, Perhilitan also shared a video of a wild elephant swimming in Tanjung Mentong at the Terengganu National Park to prove the point.

"Elephants are good swimmers and they use their trunks to dive and breathe," read the post, as reported by The Star.

Elephants are incredible

A post shared by Jabatan PERHILITAN (@perhilitan_malaysia) on


In line with World Elephant Day, Perhilitan also shared other less known facts about the majestic elephants.

For instance, did you know that elephants only sleep two to three hours a day?

They can also smell water from 12 miles away and that their pregnancy lasts for close to two years!

A post shared by Jabatan PERHILITAN (@perhilitan_malaysia) on


There are so many wonderous things to learn about these gentle giants.

For more fun facts about elephants and other creatures in our jungles, follow Perhilitan's social media accounts.

You'll always end up learning something new.