Anyone who knows me knows I love elephants. I have an elephant emoji in my Instagram bio, an elephant ring holder in my room and my friends even symbolically adopted an elephant for me for my birthday.

But most importantly, I have a pink stuffed animal elephant, which is where my love for elephants really began. This stuffed animal was the first one I ever had as a baby, and as toddler, I never went anywhere without her. I named her “Little” because I was later given the same stuffed animal in a slightly larger size, whom I creatively named “Big.” I still have them with me at college today.

As I grew up, I found myself feeling really lucky that the animal my younger self had gotten attached to was an elephant because, to put it frankly, they are incredible creatures.

Unfortunately, elephants have been an endangered species for around four decades now. Their primary threat is poaching for ivory, which is what their tusks are made of. Over the last 10 years, regulations have been passed in hopes of decreasing such hunting, so I was heartbroken to see in the news that, earlier this month, the Trump administration announced that it would grant Americans permits on a case-by-case basis to bring trophy items, such as tusks, back to the States.

As upsetting as this backtrack in the world of elephant conservation is, I don’t want to get too political – I just felt it was important to mention this latest update. Instead, I hope to take a more emotional approach, giving you a somewhat lighthearted series of reasons as to why, in the eyes of an everyday citizen like myself, elephants so special (and please visit this page of the World Wildlife Fund to learn more about the science behind their importance in our world). Hopefully, they’ll strike a chord in your heart like they have in mine.

1. They are the true “Kings – and Queens – of the Jungle”

Because of their large size, elephants – at least full-grown ones – don’t have any natural predators, which, in my eyes, makes them the more powerful than any lion.

2. They have an amazing memory

The expression “an elephant never forgets” doesn’t come nowhere. With their big brains featuring a large temporal lobe, their memories may even be better than ours.

3. They are very playful

As you’ve probably seen from the plenty of viral videos out there, elephants love to be silly and have a good time.

4. Elephants are “right and left-handed”…kind of

It is believed that, just like humans have a dominant hand, elephants have a dominant tusk. Typically, it’s the shorter tusk because it’s used more frequently.

5. Elephants experience grief

Just like humans, elephants mourn when a member of their herd passes away. While reactions to a death can vary, elephants – unlike most species – notably grieve based on emotion.

6. Elephants are huggers

That’s right – they use their mighty trunks to “hug” other elephants by placing their trunk in the other’s mouth. So it might not look like the kind of hugs we humans are used to, but the sentiment is there.

7. They’re swimmers with their very own built-in snorkel

Although you probably associate elephants more with land than sea, elephants are actually pretty good swimmers. They use all four legs to kick through the water, and can hold their trunks above the surface so they can stay submerged for as long as they need.

8. They'd probably make great spies

Despite being the largest land mammal, elephants walk super quietly! Their feet are cushioned with shock-absorbent, fatty tissue, muffling the sound of their footsteps.

9. They recognize themselves in mirrors

Yet no matter how hard I try, my dog never seems to pass the mirror test.

10. They are absolutely adorable

I mean, doesn’t it just make your heart melt? It’s no wonder there are a million accessories depicting them.