How much do you actually know about elephants? Sure, most people know the basics. Mammals. Members of the order Proboscidea. Big, adorable giants that can live for sixty or seventy years. Fair enough. But did you know that elephants rank among the most intelligent animals on the planet, right up there with chimpanzees and dolphins? They can recognize themselves in a mirror, which, mind you, may be a sign not merely of intelligence, but of actual self-awareness. But their coolest ability has to be their hearing. No, not with their ears, as you might assume. Those are more of a built-in air-conditioning system. Their feet. Elephants are remarkably good at hearing with their feet. The secret lies in the fatty pads, which can detect seismic vibrations from astonishing distances. A storm front approaching? They can "hear" it from as far as 240 kilometers away. At distances of around 30 kilometers, they can even tell who's walking and whether that individual belon...