any of an order (Proboscidea) of huge, thick-skinned, almost hairless mammals, the largest of extant four-footed animals, with a long, flexible snout (called a trunk) and, usually, two ivory tusks growing out of the upper jaw: the two existing species are the Asiatic (or Indian) elephant (Elephas maximus), which is commonly domesticated and is an endangered species, and the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), which has a flatter head and larger ears