Elephant (Franchise)

Elephants are large animals briefly mentioned in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

Description
Elephants are mammals belonging to the family Elephantidae, order Proboscidea. There are currently 3 existing species: African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana), African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), and Asian Elephant  (Elephas maximus).

The elephants are the largest terrestrial animals. They have large ears and thick skin, adapted for high temperatures. They have a long unique nose called trunk. It has no bones, making it able to bend in every direction. It has 150,000 muscles so it can be used for drinking water, lifting objects and even for defense. It is also used while feeding, getting the leaves and the grass the elephant eats.

The elephants, mostly the African ones, have modified incisors in the upper jaw, which grow with 17cm per year. They are called tusks. Humans hunts elephants mostly for their tusks.

Function
There is no mentioned function for the elephant in the franchise.

However, in the real life, elephants are hunted for their tusks and meat. In some countries they are used for transports. Elephants are also a common animal at circuses and zoos.

Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 2
In the episode "Maces and Talons, Part 1", Tuffnut mentions elephants. "Can we just talk about the elephant in the sky for a second?"

- Tuffnut in Maces and Talons

Toothless
According to Dreamworks' Youtube Video Series, "The DreamWorks Download", Toothless, and perhaps the Night Fury as a species, was inspired by many animals, including elephants. "The noises Toothless makes are a combination of elephant seals, elephants, tigers, horses, and domestic cats."

Bewilderbeast
The Bewilderbeast was inspired by many animals, including mammoths, an extinct species of elephants.

"The Bewilderbeast is a cross between a mammoth, an otter and a regal lion."

- Communication from Simon Otto to Empire Online