19. Elephants are the largest animals on land. For a long time, they are very helpful. They carry big trees, take people from place to place, and are even used in wars.
Some people think it's not easy to hurt an elephant because its skin is thick and hard. In fact, that's wrong. Sometimes, a needle can also be very dangerous for the elephant.
People say elephants are afraid of mice. This is wrong, too. In fact, elephants have very poor eyesight, so they usually cannot see a mouse even if one comes very close to them. If a person has a good memory, people will say that he has an elephant memory. However, up to now, no study shows that elephants have a better memory than any other animal.
People also believe that when it is time for elephants to die, they will hide themselves in a so-called "elephant graveyard". Often, hunters try to find such places to get ivories (象牙), but few people really find places like that. In fact, when elephants are old or get sick, they will stay in deep and secret caves until they get better or die.